Thales expands Google Cloud tie-up to secure AI agents

Thales has expanded its collaboration with Google Cloud to secure agentic AI workflows on Google Cloud by integrating Thales AI Security Fabric with Google Cloud Gemini Enterprise.

The integration is intended to help organisations govern how AI agents interact in real time with users, models, enterprise data and software tools. It targets businesses moving from AI pilots to broader use of autonomous agents in critical systems.

Agentic AI refers to software agents that can take actions, make decisions and interact with systems with a degree of autonomy. This creates a different security challenge from earlier AI assistants, which typically operated within narrower, more predictable limits.

The combined offering is designed to address risks such as prompt injection, sensitive data leakage, unsafe outputs, unauthorised actions and more complex agent-to-agent interactions. Thales said its software places controls around agents so organisations can restrict data access, enforce policy and block actions that fall outside approved boundaries.

The announcement reflects a broader shift in corporate AI adoption. Many companies are looking to connect AI systems to internal records, operational software and customer-facing processes, increasing the number of access points that must be monitored and governed.

Thales gave the example of an AI agent handling insurance claims. In that scenario, the agent could use personal information from unapproved sources to influence a payout decision, raising privacy and compliance concerns.

That type of risk is a growing concern for companies adopting AI in regulated or data-sensitive environments. Security teams are under pressure to show that automated systems stay within policy limits and that their actions can be traced and reviewed.

"Enterprises are moving from AI assistants to AI agents that can autonomously take action, make decisions, and interact with critical business systems. This requires a fundamentally different approach to security," said Eva Rudin, Senior Vice President, Cybersecurity Products, at Thales.

"By expanding our collaboration with Google Cloud, we are helping organizations build the necessary trust with security and governance as the foundation required for the next generation of enterprise AI," said Rudin.

Google Cloud presented the collaboration as part of the broader shift from experimentation to operational deployment. As businesses connect agents to more systems and data sources, cloud providers and security vendors face growing pressure to provide clearer oversight of what those agents are doing and why.

According to Thales, AI Security Fabric gives customers visibility and control over how AI systems and agents access data, interact with each other and take action across an organisation. The company said the system can also help businesses identify AI-related risks, protect sensitive information and align AI activity with internal policies and user intent.

Governance focus

Governance is likely to be central for large customers in sectors such as finance, healthcare, insurance and the public sector, where decisions taken by AI systems may have regulatory implications. Businesses in these sectors often need audit trails, policy enforcement and controls over what data can be accessed or shared.

The partnership also points to a commercial opportunity in AI security tools tailored to autonomous systems rather than conventional software. Traditional cybersecurity products were built around fixed applications, known users and established network boundaries, while AI agents can generate new chains of actions dynamically.

This makes visibility into agent behaviour a more important part of security architecture. It also raises questions about who authorises actions, how those permissions are updated and how organisations prevent one compromised or misdirected agent from affecting other systems.

"Google Cloud helps enterprises move from experimenting with AI agents to deploying them securely across their businesses," said Vineet Bhan, Director of Security and Identity Partnerships, Google Cloud.

"As agents become more capable and connected to critical data and systems, customers need security and governance built into how they operate. Our work with Thales gives organizations additional capabilities to protect agentic AI workflows and adopt this next generation of AI with greater confidence," said Bhan.

Thales employs more than 85,000 people in 65 countries and reported annual sales of €22.1 billion. The group invests €4.5 billion a year in research and development across areas including artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, quantum and cloud technologies.