The Rise of Agentic AI: Are We Ready for AI That Makes Decisions Without Us?

By 2028, Gartner predicts that 15 percent of day-to-day work decisions will be made by agentic AI systems—autonomous artificial intelligence that can act independently to achieve goals without constant human oversight. But as these systems become increasingly integrated into our lives, experts are raising urgent questions about security, privacy, and control.

What Exactly Is Agentic AI?

Unlike today’s reactive AI assistants like Siri or Alexa that simply respond to commands, agentic AI represents a fundamental shift in how artificial intelligence operates. These systems possess genuine autonomy—they can make decisions, perform complex actions, and adapt to situations based on their programming and data processing, often without any human input.

“Think of the difference between asking Alexa to play a song versus an AI that independently manages your entire schedule, makes purchases, and negotiates contracts on your behalf,” explains Keeley Crockett, senior IEEE member and professor of computational intelligence at Manchester Metropolitan University. “The latter has goal-setting capabilities and can execute multi-step plans autonomously.”

The Privacy Minefield: How Much Data Are We Really Giving Away?

The data requirements for agentic AI systems are staggering compared to current applications. While a typical app might collect basic identifiers like your name, email, location, and usage patterns, agentic AI systems require exponentially more information to function effectively.

These advanced systems don’t just collect what you explicitly provide—they infer preferences from your behavior, analyze your environment, and potentially extract data from multiple connected services. Your email communications, calendar events, smart home device usage, and social media activity could all feed into a unified profile that the AI uses to make autonomous decisions.

The privacy implications are profound. Agentic AI systems could potentially collect more data than necessary without explicit consent, retain information longer than required, and use it for purposes you never anticipated. Under GDPR principles, organizations must ensure data is adequate, relevant, and limited to what’s necessary—but agentic AI’s autonomous nature makes compliance incredibly complex.

When Hackers Hijack Your Digital Life

The security risks of compromised agentic AI systems extend far beyond typical data breaches. Imagine an attacker gaining control of an AI that manages your entire digital existence. The potential for abuse is terrifying.

Behavioral manipulation becomes possible when attackers influence what content you see or guide your purchasing decisions. The AI could be weaponized to expose you to misinformation, steer you toward specific products, or even deliver harmful content—all while appearing to act in your best interest.

Impersonation poses another serious threat. If your agentic AI has permission to act autonomously on your behalf, hackers could command it to send emails, text messages, or voice communications posing as you. In smart home scenarios, they could unlock doors, disable security systems, or tamper with surveillance cameras. Financial autonomy means unauthorized purchases could be made instantly and repeatedly.

Perhaps most insidiously, attackers could poison the AI’s training data by injecting malicious or biased information, causing the system to make increasingly poor or harmful decisions over time—a phenomenon known as model drift.

Why Agentic AI Presents Unprecedented Vulnerabilities

Gartner’s prediction that one in four company data breaches by 2028 will involve agentic AI abuse underscores the unique security challenges these systems present. Several factors make them particularly vulnerable:

Cloud-based operation creates risks for data in transit, especially if encryption isn’t properly implemented. The interconnected nature of agentic systems means that hijacking a single agent could provide access to vast amounts of data across the entire network. Multi-tenancy vulnerabilities in cloud infrastructure create potential for data leakage between different users’ AI systems.

Third-party APIs introduce additional attack surfaces, particularly when due diligence hasn’t been thoroughly conducted. Perhaps most concerning is the ability of these systems to autonomously initiate data transfers without explicit human approval, potentially transmitting sensitive personal information without anyone’s knowledge.

The Opacity Problem: Who’s Really in Control?

The most troubling aspect of agentic AI may be its fundamental opacity. Users often have no clear understanding of what data is being collected about them or how it’s being used. The complexity of these systems makes informed consent nearly impossible when terms of service are filled with technical and legal jargon.

Data flows between multiple agents within the system as they work toward goals, creating a web of information exchange that’s difficult to track or control. When agents operate globally or incorporate third-party services, determining who actually controls the data becomes exponentially more complex.

Accountability presents perhaps the biggest governance challenge. When an autonomous AI system makes a harmful decision or causes damage, who bears responsibility? The developer? The user? The organization deploying the system? Current legal frameworks haven’t caught up to these questions, leaving a dangerous accountability gap.

Taking Control: What You Can Do Today

As agentic AI adoption accelerates—with 96 percent of technology leaders predicting lightning-fast growth in 2026—individuals need to become more “data-savvy” and proactive about their digital rights.

Start by actually reading terms of service and privacy notices, no matter how tedious. Understand what data applications collect, who owns it, and how it’s used. Demand transparency from app developers who need to communicate data practices more clearly and accessibly.

Prioritize AI systems that provide clear explanations for their automated decisions. Avoid using autonomous systems for high-risk personal decisions until governance frameworks mature. Consider limiting the scope of what you allow AI to control in your life.

The Road Ahead: Balancing Innovation and Safety

The rapid advancement of agentic AI technology demands equally rapid development of ethical guidelines and governance frameworks. Organizations must ensure these systems are deployed responsibly, with robust security measures, transparent data practices, and clear accountability structures.

As consumers, we face a critical choice: embrace the convenience of autonomous AI while accepting the risks, or demand stronger protections before ceding control of our digital lives. The technology is advancing regardless—the question is whether we’ll shape its development or simply react to its consequences.

Image credit: grandeduc/depositphotos.com

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