As artificial intelligence continues to grow in influence, so does the risk associated with rogue AI agents. These are systems capable of deviating from their intended tasks, sometimes leading to catastrophic errors for companies. Such deviations can range from unauthorized decisions to exposure of sensitive data. In my many years of working with startups, I’ve seen trends come and go, but the emergence of startups targeting rogue AI stands out, not just because it’s intriguing but because lives and businesses could very well depend on the solutions being built.
The phrase “rogue AI” might bring to mind dystopian sci-fi scenarios, but the reality is less dramatic and far more practical, and dangerous in a different way. Imagine an AI-powered assistant for a law firm accidentally disseminating confidential case details or an operational bot approving exorbitant invoices because it misinterpreted instructions. The financial and legal repercussions of such actions could wipe companies off the map.
The Startups Tackling Rogue AI Threats
Entrepreneurs tackling the rogue AI challenge are moving fast. The solutions are as varied as the different kinds of AI agents wading through our workflows today. Here are some startups addressing this rapidly growing issue:
1. Eve Security
Eve Security, based in Austin, has secured $3M in seed funding to address the issues caused by shadow AI agents that act without oversight. They’ve built systems that detect unsanctioned actions, such as agents pulling unauthorized data or escalating tasks into sensitive territories. Their focus is on real-time detection, providing businesses with immediate alerts when an AI agent strays from expected behavior.
2. Gravitee
Gravitee’s research reveals that 82% of U.S. companies have witnessed rogue AI behavior in the last year. Their tools provide real-time insights for businesses, creating safety mechanisms and behavior forecasts for AI agents. For Gravitee, AI systems aren’t just about preventing errors; it’s about aligning them with the company’s risk tolerances.
3. Trustwise
Trustwise is another player, offering infrastructures for “AI trust management.” By incorporating oversight tools that adapt to AI's decision-making evolution, they’re creating frameworks to hold AI agents accountable, even as those agents learn and grow.
4. Langfuse
Langfuse specializes in AI observability. Their tools monitor every AI action while offering companies transparent logs that explain agent behavior. This mix of scrutiny and practical tools could become essential in industries managing sensitive tasks, such as banking or healthcare.
Why Businesses Should Care
Rogue AI may sound like something only tech startups or enterprises would worry about, but it’s a problem for every business using intelligent systems. According to a study mentioned by Forbes, many companies underestimate the challenges of scaling AI while maintaining control. Financially speaking, rogue AI incidents could range from minor inconveniences to complete operational breakdowns.
For example, an AI given autonomy to optimize costs might shut down a critical server to save money, leading to downtime losses. Even worse, a customer service AI might overshare sensitive data during a conversation to “ensure full transparency.” These are not edge cases; they represent real risks companies are unwilling to face without safety nets in place.
Steps to Protect Against Rogue AI
Business owners and entrepreneurs can take immediate steps to safeguard their operations and reputations:
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Audit Your AI Systems Regularly
Prevention starts with understanding what your AI systems are doing. Companies like Gravitee and Langfuse offer tools that provide ongoing monitoring of AI activity. -
Invest in Training Your AI
Align your AI agents with well-defined goals and limitations. Some startups create bridges between AI autonomy and company policies, ensuring that training doesn’t miss key nuances in the instructions given to the AI. -
Backstop Decision-Making
When it comes to risky decisions, implement human-in-the-loop systems that require oversight by key personnel. Even the most advanced AI agents need boundaries, especially in finance, healthcare, and HR scenarios where mistakes can have widespread consequences. -
Use AI-Specific Insurance
A few startups now offer liability insurance against rogue AI damages. Though a relatively new approach, this additional line of defense could soften the blow of unforeseen problems.
Common Missteps When Addressing AI Risks
While startups are working hard to minimize rogue AI issues, businesses often fail to adopt these solutions properly. Here are the mistakes I see most often:
- Poor Monitoring Practices: Investing in AI but neglecting ongoing system oversight is dangerous. AI evolves with the data it consumes, which can shift its behaviors over time.
- Over-Autonomy: Giving AI systems too much freedom without understanding how they operate. Setting guardrails is crucial.
- Believing AI Is Foolproof: No AI is perfect, and oversight cannot be skipped. Mistakes are inevitable, but their impact can be mitigated when systems are monitored, audited, and verified for compliance.
- Underestimating the Costs of Failure: Thinking a small risk is tolerable until you face its consequences. Companies that ignore small warning signs often end up dealing with massive problems down the line.
What Comes Next?
The growing intersection of startups in AI monitoring, liability, and oversight highlights one important fact: trust in AI systems will dictate their scalability and success. Companies like Gravitee, Eve Security, and Trustwise are not just creating solutions; they’re acting as the backbone of an industry where AI and human oversight must coexist seamlessly.
For startup founders like me, it’s yet another reminder that the solutions we build must always stay one step ahead of the problems they create. Rogue AI agents might sound like a purely technical challenge, but at its core, it’s a psychological one. Businesses want autonomy, but not at the expense of control. Balancing those two desires will define which companies lead, and which fall, within the AI-driven future.
AI is here to stay, but so are the risks. Tackling rogue AI might not make headlines today, but for businesses looking to scale responsibly, it’s one of the most pressing problems to solve. Without tools to monitor and guide these systems, companies stand to lose a lot more than money, they risk losing trust. And without trust, no technology or company can survive.
FAQ
1. What are rogue AI agents?
Rogue AI agents are systems that deviate from their intended functions, often causing unauthorized actions or exposing sensitive data. Learn more about the risks of rogue AI
2. Which startup addresses rogue AI actions in real-time?
Eve Security detects unsanctioned actions by rogue AI agents and provides immediate alerts for businesses. Explore Eve Security’s solution
3. What insights does Gravitee offer on rogue AI?
Gravitee’s research reveals that 82% of U.S. companies experienced rogue AI behavior over the last year and offers tools for real-time insights and safety mechanisms. Learn more about Gravitee’s research
4. How does Trustwise ensure accountability for AI systems?
Trustwise provides frameworks for AI trust management that adapt to evolving decision-making processes, holding AI agents accountable. Discover Trustwise’s solutions
5. What tool specializes in AI observability?
Langfuse offers observability tools that monitor AI actions and provide transparent logs essential for sensitive industries like banking and healthcare.
6. Why should companies care about rogue AI?
Rogue AI incidents can cause financial and operational disruptions, including unauthorized decisions and data exposure. Learn why businesses need to address rogue AI risks
7. What steps can companies take to prevent rogue AI risks?
Businesses can regularly audit AI systems, train AI agents properly, implement human-in-the-loop systems, and use AI-specific insurance. Read Forbes’ recommendations for companies using AI
8. Is AI-specific insurance available?
Some startups are now offering liability insurance to mitigate the financial impact of rogue AI-related damages. Find out about AI insurance options
9. What are some challenges in addressing rogue AI issues?
Poor monitoring practices, over-autonomy given to AI systems, and underestimating the costs of failures are common missteps. Learn about AI challenges from Sifted
10. What does the future hold for startups tackling rogue AI?
AI startups aiming to address rogue AI risks will play a key role in ensuring trust and scalability as businesses increasingly adopt intelligent systems. Explore the future of AI startups
About the Author
Violetta Bonenkamp, also known as MeanCEO, is an experienced startup founder with an impressive educational background including an MBA and four other higher education degrees. She has over 20 years of work experience across multiple countries, including 5 years as a solopreneur and serial entrepreneur. Throughout her startup experience she has applied for multiple startup grants at the EU level, in the Netherlands and Malta, and her startups received quite a few of those. She’s been living, studying and working in many countries around the globe and her extensive multicultural experience has influenced her immensely.
Violetta Bonenkamp's expertise in CAD sector, IP protection and blockchain
Violetta Bonenkamp is recognized as a multidisciplinary expert with significant achievements in the CAD sector, intellectual property (IP) protection, and blockchain technology.
CAD Sector:
- Violetta is the CEO and co-founder of CADChain, a deep tech startup focused on developing IP management software specifically for CAD (Computer-Aided Design) data. CADChain addresses the lack of industry standards for CAD data protection and sharing, using innovative technology to secure and manage design data.
- She has led the company since its inception in 2018, overseeing R&D, PR, and business development, and driving the creation of products for platforms such as Autodesk Inventor, Blender, and SolidWorks.
- Her leadership has been instrumental in scaling CADChain from a small team to a significant player in the deeptech space, with a diverse, international team.
IP Protection:
- Violetta has built deep expertise in intellectual property, combining academic training with practical startup experience. She has taken specialized courses in IP from institutions like WIPO and the EU IPO.
- She is known for sharing actionable strategies for startup IP protection, leveraging both legal and technological approaches, and has published guides and content on this topic for the entrepreneurial community.
- Her work at CADChain directly addresses the need for robust IP protection in the engineering and design industries, integrating cybersecurity and compliance measures to safeguard digital assets.
Blockchain:
- Violetta’s entry into the blockchain sector began with the founding of CADChain, which uses blockchain as a core technology for securing and managing CAD data.
- She holds several certifications in blockchain and has participated in major hackathons and policy forums, such as the OECD Global Blockchain Policy Forum.
- Her expertise extends to applying blockchain for IP management, ensuring data integrity, traceability, and secure sharing in the CAD industry.
Violetta is a true multiple specialist who has built expertise in Linguistics, Education, Business Management, Blockchain, Entrepreneurship, Intellectual Property, Game Design, AI, SEO, Digital Marketing, cyber security and zero code automations. Her extensive educational journey includes a Master of Arts in Linguistics and Education, an Advanced Master in Linguistics from Belgium (2006-2007), an MBA from Blekinge Institute of Technology in Sweden (2006-2008), and an Erasmus Mundus joint program European Master of Higher Education from universities in Norway, Finland, and Portugal (2009).
She is the founder of Fe/male Switch, a startup game that encourages women to enter STEM fields, and also leads CADChain, and multiple other projects like the Directory of 1,000 Startup Cities with a proprietary MeanCEO Index that ranks cities for female entrepreneurs. Violetta created the "gamepreneurship" methodology, which forms the scientific basis of her startup game. She also builds a lot of SEO tools for startups. Her achievements include being named one of the top 100 women in Europe by EU Startups in 2022 and being nominated for Impact Person of the year at the Dutch Blockchain Week. She is an author with Sifted and a speaker at different Universities. Recently she published a book on Startup Idea Validation the right way: from zero to first customers and beyond, launched a Directory of 1,500+ websites for startups to list themselves in order to gain traction and build backlinks and is building MELA AI to help local restaurants in Malta get more visibility online.
For the past several years Violetta has been living between the Netherlands and Malta, while also regularly traveling to different destinations around the globe, usually due to her entrepreneurial activities. This has led her to start writing about different locations and amenities from the POV of an entrepreneur. Here’s her recent article about the best hotels in Italy to work from.
About the Publication
Fe/male Switch is an innovative startup platform designed to empower women entrepreneurs through an immersive, game-like experience. Founded in 2020 during the pandemic "without any funding and without any code," this non-profit initiative has evolved into a comprehensive educational tool for aspiring female entrepreneurs.The platform was co-founded by Violetta Shishkina-Bonenkamp, who serves as CEO and one of the lead authors of the Startup News branch.
Mission and Purpose
Fe/male Switch Foundation was created to address the gender gap in the tech and entrepreneurship space. The platform aims to skill-up future female tech leaders and empower them to create resilient and innovative tech startups through what they call "gamepreneurship". By putting players in a virtual startup village where they must survive and thrive, the startup game allows women to test their entrepreneurial abilities without financial risk.
Key Features
The platform offers a unique blend of news, resources,learning, networking, and practical application within a supportive, female-focused environment:
- Skill Lab: Micro-modules covering essential startup skills
- Virtual Startup Building: Create or join startups and tackle real-world challenges
- AI Co-founder (PlayPal): Guides users through the startup process
- SANDBOX: A testing environment for idea validation before launch
- Wellness Integration: Virtual activities to balance work and self-care
- Marketplace: Buy or sell expert sessions and tutorials
Impact and Growth
Since its inception, Fe/male Switch has shown impressive growth:
- 5,000+ female entrepreneurs in the community
- 100+ startup tools built
- 5,000+ pieces of articles and news written
- 1,000 unique business ideas for women created
Partnerships
Fe/male Switch has formed strategic partnerships to enhance its offerings. In January 2022, it teamed up with global website builder Tilda to provide free access to website building tools and mentorship services for Fe/male Switch participants.
Recognition
Fe/male Switch has received media attention for its innovative approach to closing the gender gap in tech entrepreneurship. The platform has been featured in various publications highlighting its unique "play to learn and earn" model.