Marionettes and ghosts: Security considerations when AI agents join your workplace
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Marionettes, ghosts and the digital workforce
Every organization is racing to deploy AI agents, a new generation of digital workers that don't appear on the org chart. This digital workforce doesn’t sleep, doesn’t question orders and doesn’t slow down.
Autonomous AI agents are already executing thousands of decisions per second inside critical enterprise systems. The productivity gains are real, but so is the governance challenge.
Are they truly investments, a competitive advantage or a liability? Who governs them? And who is accountable when something goes wrong?
As nonhuman identities outnumber people and AI agents begin executing workflows, approving transactions and interacting with core business systems, a fundamental question emerges: when autonomous systems make decisions, who owns the outcome?
NTT DATA’s perspective with Microsoft, explores two approaches to agent identity:
The marionette: an AI agent inherits the identity and permissions of its creator. It’s powerful and efficient, but potentially difficult to govern if credentials are compromised.
The ghost: an AI agent operates as its own identity, with tightly defined permissions, enabling stronger oversight, auditing and accountability.
Decoding AI agents in the workplace
The enterprise workforce is going digital — fast. AI agents operating under marionette and ghost identity models are expanding what's possible, while redefining security, governance, and access control.
Marionettes and ghosts: The AI agent identity problem
AI agents are creating real enterprise value but also forcing leaders to rethink identity, access and accountability at scale.
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Ghost or marionette? NTT DATA and Microsoft tackle who governs autonomous AI agents.