- Thales 2026 Data Threat Report says 61% see AI as top data security risk
- Companies Give AI Wide Access, Creating Internal Risks
- 48% report damage to their reputation due to AI-driven misinformation.
Artificial Intelligence (AI) and deepfakes are proving to be a security nightmare for businesses around the world; New research claims that almost two-thirds (61%) of businesses see AI as their top data security risk.
The Thales Data Threat Report 2026 noted that at the heart of this problem is the challenge of access control and management.
Companies are increasingly adding AI to workflows, analytics, customer service, and development processes. For it to work, they must give these tools broad, automated access, turning AI tools into trusted insiders. The problem is that the controls in place for employees are almost always stricter than those for AI.
Threats from within and without
In addition to being a latent malicious insider, AI can also be a powerful malicious outsider. Threat actors are rapidly adopting the new tool and today more than half (nearly 60% actually) of companies reported experiencing deepfake-driven attacks. In these attacks, criminals use fake AI-generated audio, video, or images to convincingly impersonate a real person to manipulate their victims.
In a corporate environment, that could involve using voice cloning to mislead employees, creating AI-generated videos to authorize payments, or fabricating public statements to manipulate stock prices or damage trust. In fact, the Thales paper found that 48% reported reputational damage related to AI-generated misinformation.
Today, some companies are aware of the threats of AI, but most are not doing much about it. More than half (53%) still rely on traditional security programs built primarily for human users, while less than a third (30%) have started dedicating specific budgets to AI security.
“Insider risk is no longer just about people. It is also about automated systems that have been trusted too quickly,” says Sebastien Cano, senior vice president of cybersecurity products at Thales. “When identity governance, access policies or encryption are weak, AI can amplify those weaknesses in corporate environments much faster than any human.”
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