KnowBe4 launches AI defence agents for risk training

KnowBe4 has launched new AI Defence Agents within its AIDA suite, expanding its human risk management offering.

The additions include an orchestration tool for security awareness training and phishing simulations, a deepfake training content tool, and a custom security awareness measurement agent. The software is intended to automate security workflows that security teams often handle manually.

AIDA, short for Artificial Intelligence Defence Agents, draws on 15 years of user behaviour and threat intelligence data, according to KnowBe4. The company says it can cut administrative work from hours to seconds by automating tasks such as phishing simulation management and risk assessment.

The launch comes as cybersecurity providers increasingly apply artificial intelligence to internal training, employee risk scoring and threat response. Businesses are also under pressure to address AI-driven attacks, including more convincing social engineering and impersonation attempts.

New tools

One addition, the AIDA Orchestration Agent, is designed to create, schedule and manage personalised security awareness training and phishing simulations at the user level. It adapts activity to individual risk profiles without requiring human administration, according to the company.

KnowBe4 says customers using the tool reduce their risk score by almost three times compared with those not using AIDA. It did not provide further detail on the methodology behind that comparison.

Another product, the Deepfake Training Content Agent, generates custom training material using the likeness of a leader from the customer's organisation. The aim is to help staff recognise manipulated media and impersonation tactics that are increasingly used in cyber fraud attempts.

The Custom SAPA Agent is intended to give organisations tailored security awareness measurement based on their own policies and operating environment. This reflects a broader shift in the security market towards more customised internal risk analysis rather than standardised awareness programmes.

Multiple AI agents are already available in the AIDA suite, with additional products under development. KnowBe4 describes the wider system as personalised, adaptive and fully automated.

Market pressure

Human risk management is a growing category in cybersecurity as vendors try to address the role of employee behaviour in breaches, phishing losses and data handling failures. The concept generally combines awareness training, behavioural analysis and policy enforcement to reduce security incidents linked to staff actions.

KnowBe4 has built much of its business around security awareness training and anti-phishing tools. It is now extending that approach to include risks associated with AI agents as well as human users.

The launch is part of a wider industry effort to use automation to manage repetitive security tasks. Cybersecurity teams face rising workloads as attacks become more frequent and labour shortages persist across the sector.

In that context, vendors increasingly argue that AI systems can help security staff spend less time on routine administration and more time on decision-making. Buyers, however, are also weighing concerns about accuracy, oversight and the potential for automated tools to produce misleading outputs if they are not carefully managed.

Bryan Palma, Chief Executive Officer at KnowBe4, said the company sees autonomous systems playing a larger role in security operations. "We're leading the way in AI-powered defence but we're still only scratching the surface of what autonomous AI can do for security teams. Our vision is to move security leaders away from reactive, manual processes and toward a state of autonomous, data-backed defence that protects humans and AI agents."

He added: "With more agents in the pipeline, we are committed to providing the industry's most sophisticated, intelligent defence suite to help our customers stay ahead of an increasingly complex threat environment."

The company also pointed to customer feedback on the updated platform. "The ease of use and user-friendly interface makes everything seamless," said Ha Phan, VP Information Security at Oak Valley Community Bank, via G2.

Phan added: "KnowBe4 is always adding more to the platform and the new AIDA has been awesome."

KnowBe4 says it is used by more than 70,000 organisations worldwide.