Guardrails for AI agents and where to place them

AI agents are supposed to make work easier. Instead, they're creating a whole new category of security nightmares. 

As companies deploy AI-powered chatbots, agents, and copilots across their operations, they're facing a new risk: how do you let employees and AI agents use powerful AI tools without accidentally leaking sensitive data, violating compliance rules, or opening the door to prompt-based injections? Witness AI just raised $58 million to find a solution, building what they call "the confidence layer for enterprise AI." 

Today on TechCrunch’s Equity podcast, Rebecca Bellan was joined by Barmak Meftah, co-founder and partner at Ballistic Ventures, and Rick Caccia, CEO of Witness AI, to discuss what enterprises are actually worried about, why AI security become an $800 billion to $1.2 trillion market by 2031, and what happens when AI agents start talking to other AI agents without human oversight. 

Listen to the full episode to hear:  

• How enterprises accidentally leak sensitive data through "shadow AI" usage. 

• What CISOs are actually worried about right now, how the problem has evolved rapidly over 18 months, and what it will look like over the next year. 

• Why traditional cybersecurity approaches don't work for AI agents. 

• Real examples of AI agents going rogue, including one that threatened to blackmail an employee. 

Subscribe to Equity on YouTube, Apple Podcasts, Overcast, Spotify and all the casts. You also can follow Equity on X and Threads, at @EquityPod. 

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