AI agents are supposed to make work easier. Butthey’realso creating a whole new category of security nightmares.
As companies deploy AI-powered chatbots, agents, and copilots across their operations, they’re facing a new risk: How do you let employees and AI agents use powerful AI tools without accidentally leaking sensitive data, violating compliance rules, or opening the door to prompt-based injections? Witness AI just raised $58 million to find a solution, building what they call “the confidence layer for enterprise AI.”
Today on TechCrunch’s Equity podcast, Rebecca Bellan was joined by Barmak Meftah, co-founder and partner at Ballistic Ventures, and Rick Caccia, CEO of WitnessAI, to discuss what enterprises are actually worried about, why AI security will become an $800 billion to $1.2 trillion market by 2031, and what happens when AI agents start talking to other AI agents without human oversight.
Listen to the full episode to hear:
- How enterprises accidentally leak sensitive data through “shadow AI” usage.
- What CISOs are worriedabout right now, how the problem has evolved rapidly over18 months, and what it will look like over thenextyear.
- Whythey think traditional cybersecurity approacheswon’twork for AIagents.
- Real examples of AI agents going rogue, including one that threatened to blackmail an employee.
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Rebecca Bellan is a senior reporter at TechCrunch where she covers the business, policy, and emerging trends shaping artificial intelligence. Her work has also appeared in Forbes, Bloomberg, The Atlantic, The Daily Beast, and other publications.
You can contact or verify outreach from Rebecca by emailing [email protected] or via encrypted message at rebeccabellan.491 on Signal.
Theresa Loconsolo is an audio producer at TechCrunch focusing on Equity, the network’s flagship podcast. Before joining TechCrunch in 2022, she was one of 2 producers at a four-station conglomerate where she wrote, recorded, voiced and edited content, and engineered live performances and interviews from guests like lovelytheband. Theresa is based in New Jersey and holds a bachelors degree in Communication from Monmouth University.
You can contact or verify outreach from Theresa by emailing [email protected].