The Non-Human Identity Management Group recently launched a LinkedIn poll asking:
If you had to pick one option, what would it be?
“AI for IAM or IAM for AI?”
With 236 total votes, the results were very telling:
- IAM for AI – 78%
- AI for IAM – 22%
No real surprise to see IAM for AI taking a clear lead. The majority of respondents recognize that as AI systems, models, and agents become more autonomous and gain access to critical resources, identity must be the foundation of AI security.
While AI can certainly enhance IAM through analytics, automation, and anomaly detection, the poll results show that professionals understand a deeper truth: AI itself needs to be governed by strong IAM principles. Without clear identities, authentication, authorization, and lifecycle management, AI becomes another powerful, but unmanaged, actor in the environment.
This poll highlights a growing maturity in how the community thinks about AI security. Rather than asking how AI can improve IAM, more organizations are asking how IAM can be applied to AI. As Agentic AI adoption accelerates, IAM for AI will be critical to ensuring accountability, control, and trust across modern digital environments.
