AI Agents: Human or Non-Human?

Read full article here: https://www.oasis.security/blog/ai-agents-human-or-non-human/?source=nhimg

As AI agents evolve from simple automation tools to autonomous digital workers, a critical identity security dilemma emerges: Are AI agents human-like employees or Non-Human Identities (NHIs)?

During CES 2025, NVIDIA CEO Jensen Huang forecasted a future where AI agents seamlessly integrate into enterprise workforces. But beneath this vision lies a stark cybersecurity challenge: AI agents don't authenticate, operate, or think like humans. They rely on API keys, managed identities, and dynamic service accounts (NHIs), making traditional identity governance models obsolete.

This article breaks down why AI agents pose unique security risks:

• Privilege Escalation Risks - AI agents can autonomously request and assign new permissions if given excessive initial access.

• Identity Sprawl Explosion - AI agents dynamically create NHIs (service accounts, managed identities) at scale, leading to unmanaged, long-lived credentials.

• Lack of Ownership and Accountability - Unlike human employees, AI agents lack defined ownership, making oversight and governance complex.

• No Standardized Lifecycle - There's no HR offboarding equivalent for AI-generated NHIs, creating persistent security blind spots.

Through a real-world scenario — an AI Agent automating Azure cloud cost optimization — the article illustrates how misconfigurations can allow AI agents to escalate privileges, create unmanaged identities, and operate outside security oversight, exposing organizations to significant risk.

Oasis Security’s Solution: Proactive NHI Governance for AI Agents

Oasis Security addresses these emerging AI-driven identity risks with a purpose-built Non-Human Identity (NHI) governance platform, enabling organizations to:

• Discover and Monitor AI-generated NHIs in real-time across cloud environments.

• Enforce Least Privilege Access and prevent AI-driven privilege escalation.

• Automate the NHI Lifecycle, ensuring identities are revoked, cleaned up, and expired when no longer needed.

• Maintain Compliance and Audit Trails for every AI agent action to meet regulatory demands (SOC 2, ISO 27001, GDPR, etc.).

With AI agents operating at machine scale, enterprises need governance, not just automation. Oasis Security ensures AI-driven identities are controlled, monitored, and secured, preventing AI agents from becoming invisible security liabilities.