With critical policies scrapped and collaboration gutted, the burden of AI security now rests entirely on the private sector

As AI adoption surges and new security concerns emerge, the Trump administration has made the controversial decision to eliminate existing AI security guidelines. Alongside this move, it has fired key staff at agencies like CISA and dismantled public-private partnerships such as the Cyber Safety Review Board.

This has left many enterprises with fast-moving AI projects wondering: without federal leadership or mandates, do we really need to invest more in AI security?

To answer that, we need to take a step back and ask a more fundamental question: Why do we invest in cybersecurity at all? Is it out of a genuine concern for the business risks of a breach, or simply to comply with regulations? For most organizations, it’s a mix of both. But when regulatory guidance disappears, the focus must shift entirely to risk—not just compliance.

Attacks Don’t Wait for the Government to Warn Us

It may seem obvious, but it’s worth repeating: attackers don’t wait for official threat bulletins before launching a cyberattack.

Over the years, governments and organizations like ISACs have developed systems to alert enterprises to known threats. But relying solely on this model creates a dangerous false sense of security. Organizations often hesitate to invest in protections against specific threats until they see similar companies attacked.

That “wait-and-see” mindset left thousands of businesses unprepared for major cyber events like WannaCry, SolarWinds, and Log4j—attacks that caused massive disruption and financial loss across the globe.

Mature organizations that had adopted zero-trust models and layered security defenses were far better positioned to minimize the damage. They didn’t wait for a memo—they built resilience in advance.

The Cost of a Breach Is Far Worse Than a Regulatory Fine

Most cyberattacks share the same core motivations: steal intellectual property, ransom sensitive data, or disrupt operations to damage stock value.

When it comes to emerging technologies like AI, there may not be immediate regulatory penalties for failing to secure systems. But the absence of fines doesn’t reduce the damage. If anything, breaches involving AI tools could be even more catastrophic due to the speed and scale of automation.

In short: you might not get fined down the road for ignoring AI security today—but you’ll pay a much bigger price if you're breached tomorrow.

AI Is Accelerating the Threat Landscape

AI is a double-edged sword. While it’s revolutionizing productivity, it’s also being weaponized by attackers to scale social engineering, automate reconnaissance, and generate malicious content faster than ever.

At the same time, the AI tools we build are becoming new targets. Systems can be poisoned, hijacked, or manipulated to exfiltrate sensitive data or compromise other parts of a network.

Recent examples highlight how real this risk is:

• DeepSeek Attack (Jan 2025): Chinese AI firm DeepSeek was hit by a large-scale attack that disrupted user registrations.
• Ray Framework Exploits (Mar 2024): Thousands of AI workloads were exposed via insecure Ray deployments.
• Prompt Injection (2024–2025): LLMs like DeepSeek R1 were compromised by malicious prompts that bypassed safeguards.
• Imprompter Attack (Oct 2024): Hidden text prompts tricked AI models into leaking personal data to external servers.
• Robot Manipulation (Dec 2024): Researchers showed how LLM-driven robots could be misled into dangerous actions—like driving off a bridge.

These incidents are early warnings of a much larger wave of AI-centric attacks to come.

Mature Regulations Like GDPR Actually Simplify Security

When GDPR was introduced, many feared it would burden businesses with red tape. But in practice, it provided clear, consistent standards for handling data. Once basic systems and practices were put in place – like cookie notices, and deleting customer data on request, compliance became more straightforward—not more difficult.

We’re on a similar path with AI regulation. The EU AI Act is already taking shape, and other nations are following suit. But enforcement and penalties will take time to materialize.

Unfortunately, by walking away from AI policymaking, the U.S. has given up its seat at the table. American companies now have less influence over global standards—and will be forced to react to rules created elsewhere.

During the Biden administration, foundational work was underway to shape responsible AI use and security. By abruptly reversing that progress, the Trump administration has left businesses without guidance or guardrails. And when the next major AI-related breach hits (as it inevitably will), expect reactive, poorly thought-out policies to be rushed in—potentially doing more harm than good.

Without Government Leadership, the Private Sector Is on Its Own

So, does the rollback of government oversight make AI security easier for businesses? Only if you believe that ignorance equals protection.

The truth is, the threats are growing, the tools are evolving, and the risks are accelerating. Without federal direction, the burden now falls squarely on private organizations to take the lead.

Those that choose to wait—simply because no one is telling them otherwise—are rolling the dice. The smarter approach is to be proactive: build resilient systems, monitor emerging AI vulnerabilities, and treat security as a business imperative rather than a compliance checkbox.

Because in this new era of AI, silence from the government isn’t safety—it’s a warning.