R/05Report Type

AI Security
Risk Assessments

Understanding Security Risk as Artificial Intelligence Enters the Organisation

Artificial intelligence is becoming part of everyday organisational work.

Employees may use approved systems, built-in software features, specialist tools or publicly available services. Each form of adoption can introduce different questions about information, access, oversight and responsibility.

AI Security Risk Assessments examine how artificial intelligence is being introduced, governed and used through independent, evidence-led analysis.

The objective is not to present AI as inherently unsafe. It is to help organisations understand the security considerations that develop around its use.

02Purpose

Why Organisations Request AI Security Risk Assessments

AI adoption does not always begin with a single formal decision.

A new feature may appear inside existing software. A team may begin using a specialist tool. Individual employees may experiment with publicly available systems before organisational guidance has developed.

Over time, these separate choices can create a technology environment that is difficult to see clearly.

An independent assessment helps organisations understand how AI is being used, what information may be involved and how governance is developing around it.

03Scope

What the Assessment Examines

Every assessment is scoped according to the organisation's circumstances. Depending on the agreed focus, it may examine areas including the following.

  • Approved AI systems and services
  • Informal or unapproved AI use
  • Information entered into AI tools
  • Identity and access arrangements
  • Connections with organisational systems
  • Software features that include AI capabilities
  • Third-party AI providers
  • Data handling and retention considerations
  • Governance and accountability
  • Human oversight
  • Change management
  • Operational dependence on AI-assisted processes
  • Relationships between AI adoption and broader cybersecurity risk

The purpose is not simply to list AI tools. It is to understand how their use connects with organisational security, governance and everyday work.

04Process

How the Assessment Is Conducted

Every AI Security Risk Assessment follows the Cyber Analysis Methodology.

Observations are gathered before conclusions are formed.

The available evidence is examined carefully, including how AI tools are introduced, accessed, governed and used in practice.

Individual observations are then considered together to understand relationships that may not be visible when each AI tool or use case is viewed in isolation.

05Output

What You Can Expect

Assessments are written in clear, accessible language. Depending on the agreed scope, they may include the following.

  • Executive summary
  • Observed AI use
  • Supporting evidence
  • Information-handling considerations
  • Governance observations
  • Third-party considerations
  • Organisational implications
  • Areas requiring discussion
  • Questions for leadership
  • Areas where further investigation may be appropriate

The emphasis remains on understanding rather than alarm.

06Boundaries

What the Assessment Does Not Provide

An AI Security Risk Assessment is not any of the following.

It is an independent analytical assessment intended to improve organisational understanding.

A penetration test

A vulnerability assessment

A legal opinion

A formal compliance certification

An evaluation of which AI product an organisation should purchase

A guarantee that AI-related incidents will not occur

A claim that every use of artificial intelligence creates unacceptable risk

07Independence

Independence

Cyber Analysis does not sell AI software.

Cyber Analysis does not recommend AI vendors.

Cyber Analysis does not receive payment to promote particular technologies or influence analytical conclusions.

Every assessment is produced independently using the same evidence-led methodology.

08Context

AI Adoption Develops Differently

Some organisations introduce artificial intelligence through formal programmes.

Others encounter it gradually through existing software, individual experimentation or changing working practices.

The same technology may create different considerations depending on the information involved, the way it is accessed and the role it plays within organisational activity.

Every AI environment is different.

Every assessment reflects those differences.

The methodology remains the same.

Every assessment begins with structured observation.

Every conclusion is expected to follow from the evidence.