Human-Speed Security Is Breaking Down as Enterprises Enter the Age of Autonomous AI

New Documentary Hosted on CBS Showcases Snyk Research Demonstrating Why Legacy Security Can’t Keep Up with Machine-Speed Threats

DAVOS, SWITZERLAND, January 22, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ -- As artificial intelligence becomes embedded in the core infrastructure of global business, a new CBS documentary featuring research from Snyk, the AI security leader, reveals a widening gap between how fast AI systems operate and how slow most enterprises are to secure them.

Released during the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting in Davos, Snyk’s independently conducted research, The End of Human-Speed Security: Defense in the Age of AI Agents, finds that AI has crossed a critical threshold — shifting from assistive tools to systems that can act, decide, and execute with increasing autonomy. While 87% of organizations have actively integrated AI into software development or core business workflows, most organizations remain constrained by security models designed for human-paced workflows.

Snyk defines this mismatch as the “readiness gap.”

From Confidence to Blind Spots

The research shows a growing disconnect between executive confidence and technical reality:

- The "Detection Myth": A staggering 57% of leaders feel confident they can stop an AI attack, yet the research reveals a massive blind spot: executive confidence is increasingly divorced from technical reality.

- The Enforcement Failure: While 73% of organizations have formal AI policies to govern the use of external AI tools, this often results in “paper shields” — governance that exists on a document but lacks the technical infrastructure for continuous, real-time enforcement.

- The SDLC Security Gap: Only 29% of organizations have fully integrated AI-aware security checks across the software development lifecycle. Without these safeguards, the rapid adoption of MCP servers — the "USB-C of AI" — acts as a high-speed conduit for exploitation, outpacing traditional defense layers.

- A Mandate for Regulation: 97% of leaders believe regulators must mandate minimum security standards for AI, with 37% calling the need "urgent."

"Traditional security architectures will continue to be challenged when dealing with today’s AI native threats," said Peter McKay, CEO, Snyk. "The question is no longer whether your code is secure, but whether your security can continuously learn and orchestrate an AI speed defense. To survive this inflection point, enterprises must move beyond static tools and embrace autonomous defense."

The End of Human-in-the-Loop Security

The report highlights a fundamental shift in enterprise operations: AI is no longer just advising humans — it is increasingly executing decisions on its own. With 50% of leaders reporting that AI is already operating without direct human review, traditional security models built around manual oversight are becoming a liability rather than a safeguard.

A Leadership Imperative at the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting

For business and policy leaders gathered in Davos, the report delivers a clear directive: security must evolve from reactive, manual controls to machine-speed systems embedded directly into how AI and software are built and run.

To close the Readiness Gap, organizations must:

1. Move beyond paper governance. Policies and approvals cannot stop autonomous agents.

2. Embed security into the AI and software lifecycle. Security must operate continuously - from design through deployment.

3. Adopt machine-speed security models. Detection, reasoning, and response must keep pace with AI-native systems.

4. Prepare for regulation — but do not rely on it alone. Minimum standards will raise the floor, not define leadership.


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About Snyk

Snyk, the AI security company, empowers organizations to build fast and stay secure by unleashing developer productivity and reducing business risk. The company’s AI Security Platform seamlessly integrates into developer and security workflows to accelerate secure software delivery in the AI Era. Snyk delivers trusted, actionable insights and automated remediation, enabling modern organizations to innovate without limits. Snyk is redefining secure AI-driven software delivery for over 4,500 customers worldwide today.

Claudia Gahan
Acumen Media
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