AI Access Control: Applying Least Privilege to LLMs, Agents, and AI Tools
Enterprise AI is becoming deeply connected to business systems. LLMs, AI agents, RAG applications, copilots, APIs, and AI tools can now interact with sensitive enterprise data and applications. With this increased connectivity comes a critical security question: How much access should an AI system actually have? The answer should be guided by one of the most established security principles: least privilege . What Is AI Access Control? AI access control determines which users, applications, AI agents, models, tools, connectors, and machine identities can access specific resources. Unlike traditional access management, enterprise AI often involves multiple identities and permissions. A typical workflow can involve: User → AI Application → Model → Agent → Tool → Data → Enterprise System Each stage needs appropriate authorization. Giving an AI application the same access as the human user can unintentionally create excessive permissions. Instead, AI access should be limited according ...