Singapore – Okta has released new findings following a live poll conducted in November, indicating that organisations in Singapore are rapidly expanding their use of AI but continue to face uncertainty over who is accountable for managing emerging risks.
The poll shows that although AI adoption is advancing, governance structures and identity controls have not kept pace. More than half of respondents said responsibility for AI-related security issues lies with the security leadership, while a quarter reported that no individual or team currently oversees AI risk within their organisation.
Moreover, only 31% of respondents expressed confidence in identifying when an AI system acts outside its intended role, and one-third said they do not monitor the behaviour of AI agents at all.
“Organisations in Singapore are adopting AI at speed, which signals growing maturity in how the technology is being used. The next step is ensuring governance and security evolve at the same pace,” Stephanie Barnett, vice president, Asia Pacific & Japan at Okta, commented.
She added, “As AI becomes more embedded across workflows, organisations need to treat AI agents like any other and apply the same discipline to securing AI agents as they do to human users.”
Data exposure through third-party connections was also cited as the most common weakness, identified by 36% of participants, followed closely by the use of unapproved or unmanaged AI tools, reported by 33%. The unregulated use of AI, with shadow AI cases, is also a prevalent issue in Singapore.
Around 8% of respondents mentioned that their identity platforms are fully capable of securing non-human accounts, including AI agents, bots and automated services, while 58% described their systems as only partially prepared.
Meanwhile, half of those surveyed stated their boards are aware of AI-related risks, but only 31% noted full engagement at the board level in overseeing these issues.
Overall, the findings point to the need for clearer ownership, stronger oversight and improved identity systems that can support both human and automated users as AI becomes more deeply integrated into enterprise operations in Singapore.
