Reality
AI inherits access through integrations
When a model is connected to file stores, ticketing systems, CRMs, or identity workflows, it operates with the permissions of the integration; not the user’s intent.
Research Note · AI & Emerging
AI as a New Insider
The quiet creation of high-privilege workflows
Organizations are rapidly connecting models to internal data and action-taking systems: ticketing, knowledge bases, document stores, identity workflows, and approvals. The result is a new “insider” with broad access and no human judgment.
AI risk is not only model risk. It is workflow risk.
Executive summary
AI creates insider capability without insider accountability
The primary risk is not that a model “becomes malicious.” The risk is that organizations build high-trust workflows where AI can access sensitive data, make recommendations that are treated as authority, and trigger actions through integrations; without the controls normally required for privileged human operators.
Risk
“Helpful” can become high-impact
Summaries, suggested actions, auto-filled approvals, and workflow automation can translate imperfect outputs into irreversible changes.
Outcome
Security controls lag adoption
AI is deployed faster than governance can adapt; creating privileged pathways without ownership, logging, or clear decision authority.
Where it happens
How high-privilege workflows form quietly
Privilege is rarely granted “to the model.” It emerges through convenience.
Cross-silo search becomes cross-silo exposure
“Search everything” features often pull from sources with different classifications, retention rules, and access intent; then present outputs as a single unified answer.
AI approval assistants become policy bypass
When an AI suggests approvals for access requests, vendor onboarding, or exceptions, it compresses the deliberation that normally prevents risky decisions.
Automation bridges identity and action
If a model can trigger workflows; create users, modify permissions, reset credentials, open firewall rules, deploy scripts; the model becomes an operational operator.
Training data and logs become sensitive stores
Prompts, outputs, and tool logs can contain credentials, incident details, customer data, and proprietary information; often retained longer than anyone expects.
Governance direction
Treat AI workflows like privileged systems
The best approach is not “AI policy.” It is identity, logging, and control-plane discipline applied to AI-enabled workflows.
Priority
Constrain integration permissions
AI tools should use scoped service identities with minimal access; not broad “read all” connectors that implicitly expand blast radius.
Priority
Require human confirmation for high-impact actions
Any workflow that changes access, deletes data, or triggers external communication should require explicit human approval with audit logging.
Priority
Log model actions like admin actions
Capture prompts, tool calls, retrieved sources, actions taken, and who initiated the workflow. Without this, incidents will be uninvestigable.
Priority
Define “AI blast radius”
Maintain an inventory of AI-enabled workflows, their connected systems, and what data/action scope they can reach; then treat changes as governance events.