The 2026 Identity Security Report from Delinea reveals alarming trends in organizational security practices as they adopt AI technologies. A staggering 90% of surveyed companies are pressuring their security teams to ease identity controls to facilitate quicker implementation of AI tools. This shift is posing significant security threats, as many organizations are advancing AI initiatives without sufficient measures for identity discovery and monitoring.
The report, which included insights from over 2,000 IT decision-makers, highlighted that 90% acknowledged at least one gap in identity visibility, particularly concerning non-human identities (NHIs) managed by AI agents. Art Gilliland, CEO of Delinea, pointed out that the rapid integration of AI is outpacing identity governance, leading to increased vulnerabilities.
Additional findings show that 42% of organizations see AI expansion as a key driver of NHI risks, surpassing other challenges like automation and cloud workloads. Furthermore, 80% of respondents struggle to comprehend the rationale behind privileged actions by NHIs, indicating a significant lack of oversight and accountability. Despite the risks, 59% of organizations reported relying on outdated security measures, which could lead to unauthorized access and exploitation of persistent permissions.