* [![perspectives](https://origin-www.paloaltonetworks.com.au/perspectives/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/prespective-icon.png)](https://origin-www.paloaltonetworks.com.au/perspectives) * Why Traditional Security Fails in the Age of Non-Deterministic AI # Why Traditional Security Fails in the Age of Non-Deterministic AI ![Why Traditional Security Fails in the Age of Non-Deterministic AI](https://origin-www.paloaltonetworks.com.au/perspectives/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/DeployBravely-MainOrig-responsive-1200x628-1.jpg) **By [Anand Oswal](https://origin-www.paloaltonetworks.com.au/perspectives/author/anand-oswal/ "Posts by Anand Oswal")** | **3 min read** | ![share icon](https://paloaltonetworks.com/content/dam/pan/en_US/cxo-perspectives/images/cxo-share.svg) * LinkedIn button ![linkedin-icon](https://www.paloaltonetworks.com/content/dam/pan/en_US/microsite/cortex/images/share-linkedin.svg) * Twitter share button ![twitter-icon](https://www.paloaltonetworks.com/content/dam/pan/en_US/microsite/cortex/images/share-twitter-x-black.svg) * \[Email share button ![email-icon](https://www.paloaltonetworks.com/content/dam/pan/en_US/microsite/cortex/images/share-email.svg)\](mailto:?subject=Why Traditional Security Fails in the Age of Non-Deterministic AI\&body=Check out this article https%3A%2F%2Forigin-www.paloaltonetworks.com.au%2Fperspectives%2Fwhy-traditional-security-fails-in-the-age-of-non-deterministic-ai%2F "Share in Email") * ![copy-icon](https://origin-www.paloaltonetworks.com.au/perspectives/wp-content/themes/csp2025/dist/images/icons/icon-share.svg) [](https://origin-www.paloaltonetworks.com.au/perspectives/why-traditional-security-fails-in-the-age-of-non-deterministic-ai/?pdf=download&lg=en&_wpnonce=83197ae001 "Click here to download") MEET THE AUTHOR ![](https://origin-www.paloaltonetworks.com.au/perspectives/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/anand-oswal.jpg) Anand Oswal is the Executive Vice President of Network Security at cybersecurity leader Palo Alto Networks. His team of product managers, engineers and researchers deliver best-in-class enterprise security products and services to help to protect users, applications and infrastructure from cybersecurity threats. An innovation-driven technology leader who holds over 100 U.S. patents, Anand leads the AI transformation of the Network Security business. His team has developed a range of advanced security capabilities including: Prisma AIRS, a comprehensive AI security platform; Strata, an AI-powered platform; Cloud Delivered Security Services (CDSS); Secure Access Service Edge (SASE); Next Generation Firewalls (NGFW); and Zero Trust solutions. As a dynamic leader, Anand is dedicated to building strong, diverse and motivated teams focused on creating innovative security products and solutions for some of the world's biggest enterprise customers. Before joining Palo Alto Networks, Anand was SVP of Engineering for Cisco's Intent-Based Networking Group. At Cisco he was responsible for building the complete set of platforms and solutions for the Cisco enterprise networking portfolio. The portfolio spans enterprise products across routing, access switching, IoT connectivity, wireless, and network and cloud services deployed for customers worldwide. He joined Cisco through the acquisition of Starent Networks, and earlier in his career, held leadership roles at Siara Systems, Sun Microsystems and Ericsson. Anand holds a bachelor's degree in telecommunications from the College of Engineering, Pune, India and a master's degree in computer networking from the University of Southern California.... [Learn more](https://origin-www.paloaltonetworks.com.au/perspectives/author/anand-oswal/) ## IN THIS ARTICLE Every enterprise today is in a race. We are racing to put AI to work --- from copilots to autonomous agents --- because the potential for productivity and innovation is extraordinary. But as we accelerate, we are discovering that the road itself has changed. For decades, cybersecurity was built on a "deterministic" model. We knew how applications behaved: Input A led to Output B. If an application did something unexpected, it was a bug or a breach. The threat surface, while vast, was relatively static. The page has officially turned on that era. ## **The Rise of the Non-Deterministic Threat** AI introduces a fundamental shift in how applications behave, reason, and use data. AI models are non-deterministic; they are adaptive, creative, and constantly evolving. This means the threat surface is no longer static. It expands and changes in ways that traditional, rule-based security tools simply cannot match. Without a unified strategy, every new AI interaction, whether through an app, model, or agent, multiplies your blind spots. It makes it increasingly difficult for leaders to answer the most basic, yet critical question: *Is this safe to deploy?* ## **The "Point Tool" Trap** In the rush to secure these new systems, many organizations are falling into a familiar trap: adding more point tools. They see a new risk --- prompt injection, model theft, data leakage --- and they buy a specific tool to fix it. But AI is ubiquitous. And so, securing AI is not about patching holes. Reacting to every new risk with a dedicated solution creates a fragmented security posture. It leaves you stitching together disconnected alerts while adversaries move across the gaps. In the Age of AI, complexity is the enemy of speed. ## **A Unified Approach for a Unified Ecosystem** To move fast, we must stop treating AI security as an add-on and start treating it as an architectural requirement. It requires unifying how the entire AI ecosystem is protected --- from the models developers build to the agents and chatbot interfaces employees use every day. Organizations must pivot to a platform approach that allows them to: * **Discover** what AI is actually running in the environment (shadow AI is often 10x what IT suspects). * **Assess** the risks holistically on your AI ecosystem including sensitive data exposure. * **Protect** your AI deployment in real-time, end-to-end. This is the vision behind [**Prisma AIRS**](https://www.paloaltonetworks.com/prisma/prisma-ai-runtime-security). We built it to give enterprises a single, comprehensive platform to secure AI at scale. Instead of managing disjointed tools, Prisma AIRS brings AI activity into a unified security and governance framework. ## **Deploying Bravely** As I discuss in my [video](https://www.paloaltonetworks.com/deploybravely#executives), the goal isn't just to "lock down" AI since that may well be impossible to do. It is to turn security into an accelerator. When you have a unified defense, you don't have to choose between security and speed. You can move boldly, knowing your AI is protected from development to deployment. Speed with safety fuels secure innovation. *This post is Part 1 of our* ***[Deploy Bravely](https://www.paloaltonetworks.com/deploybravely#executives)*** *series, exploring how to secure the AI enterprise through a platform approach.* ***Up Next:*** *Ian Swanson on the* ***["Pilot Trap"](https://paloaltonetworks.com/perspectives/the-pilot-trap-why-scaling-ai-is-impossible-with-legacy-appsec-tools/)*** *and why legacy tools are keeping your AI stuck in the lab.* * [AI](https://origin-www.paloaltonetworks.com.au/perspectives/all-articles/?cat=ai) * [Secure AI Usage](https://origin-www.paloaltonetworks.com.au/perspectives/all-articles/?cat=secure-ai-usage) ## Related Content ![](https://origin-www.paloaltonetworks.com.au/perspectives/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/Why-Cybersecurity-KPIs-Are-Changing-featured.jpg) BLOG ### AI **Why Cybersecurity KPIs Are Changing (And What This Means for Security Leaders)** True cyber resilience is impossible to achieve without strategic and tactic... [Helmut Reisinger](https://origin-www.paloaltonetworks.com.au/perspectives/author/helmut-reisinger/ "Posts by Helmut Reisinger") [](https://origin-www.paloaltonetworks.com.au/perspectives/why-cybersecurity-kpis-are-changing-and-what-this-means-for-security-leaders/) ![](https://origin-www.paloaltonetworks.com.au/perspectives/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/Weaponized-Intelligence-featured.jpg) BLOG ### AI **Weaponized Intelligence** We are building the foundation that makes defense possible.... [Nikesh Arora](https://origin-www.paloaltonetworks.com.au/perspectives/author/nikesh-arora/ "Posts by Nikesh Arora") [](https://origin-www.paloaltonetworks.com.au/perspectives/weaponized-intelligence/) ![](https://origin-www.paloaltonetworks.com.au/perspectives/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/RFP-Bottleneck-featured.jpg) BLOG ### AI **From Weeks to Minutes: How We Applied an AI-First Transformation to the RFP Bottleneck** Understanding why manual efforts burn hundreds of hours and are bottlenecki... [Sandeep Uttamchandani](https://origin-www.paloaltonetworks.com.au/perspectives/author/sandeep-uttamchandani/ "Posts by Sandeep Uttamchandani") [](https://origin-www.paloaltonetworks.com.au/perspectives/from-weeks-to-minutes-how-we-applied-an-ai-first-transformation-to-the-rfp-bottleneck/) STAY CONNECTED ## Connect with our team today Job Level Sign me up to receive news, product updates, sales outreach, event information and special offers about Palo Alto Networks and its partners. By submitting this form, I understand my personal data will be processed in accordance with Palo Alto Networks [Privacy Statement](https://www.paloaltonetworks.com/legal-notices/privacy?ts=markdown) and [Terms of Use](https://www.paloaltonetworks.com/legal-notices/terms-of-use?ts=markdown). This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google [Privacy Policy](https://policies.google.com/privacy) and [Terms of Service](https://policies.google.com/terms) apply. Reach out {#footer} Products and Services * [AI-Powered Network Security Platform](https://www.paloaltonetworks.com/network-security?ts=markdown) * [Secure AI by Design](https://www.paloaltonetworks.com/ai-security?ts=markdown) * [Prisma AIRS](https://www.paloaltonetworks.com/ai-security/prisma-airs?ts=markdown) * [AI Access Security](https://www.paloaltonetworks.com/sase/ai-access-security?ts=markdown) * [Cloud Delivered Security Services](https://www.paloaltonetworks.com/network-security/security-subscriptions?ts=markdown) * [Advanced Threat Prevention](https://www.paloaltonetworks.com/network-security/advanced-threat-prevention?ts=markdown) * [Advanced URL Filtering](https://www.paloaltonetworks.com/network-security/advanced-url-filtering?ts=markdown) * [Advanced WildFire](https://www.paloaltonetworks.com/network-security/advanced-wildfire?ts=markdown) * [Advanced DNS Security](https://www.paloaltonetworks.com/network-security/advanced-dns-security?ts=markdown) * [Enterprise Data Loss Prevention](https://www.paloaltonetworks.com/sase/enterprise-data-loss-prevention?ts=markdown) * [Enterprise IoT Security](https://www.paloaltonetworks.com/network-security/enterprise-device-security?ts=markdown) * [Medical IoT Security](https://www.paloaltonetworks.com/network-security/medical-device-security?ts=markdown) * [Industrial OT Security](https://www.paloaltonetworks.com/network-security/medical-device-security?ts=markdown) * [SaaS Security](https://www.paloaltonetworks.com/sase/saas-security?ts=markdown) * [Next-Generation Firewalls](https://www.paloaltonetworks.com/network-security/next-generation-firewall?ts=markdown) * [Hardware Firewalls](https://www.paloaltonetworks.com/network-security/hardware-firewall-innovations?ts=markdown) * [Software Firewalls](https://www.paloaltonetworks.com/network-security/software-firewalls?ts=markdown) * [Strata Cloud Manager](https://www.paloaltonetworks.com/network-security/strata-cloud-manager?ts=markdown) * [SD-WAN for NGFW](https://www.paloaltonetworks.com/network-security/sd-wan-subscription?ts=markdown) * [PAN-OS](https://www.paloaltonetworks.com/network-security/pan-os?ts=markdown) * [Panorama](https://www.paloaltonetworks.com/network-security/panorama?ts=markdown) * [Secure Access Service Edge](https://www.paloaltonetworks.com/sase?ts=markdown) * [Prisma SASE](https://www.paloaltonetworks.com/sase?ts=markdown) * [Application Acceleration](https://www.paloaltonetworks.com/sase/app-acceleration?ts=markdown) * [Autonomous Digital Experience Management](https://www.paloaltonetworks.com/sase/adem?ts=markdown) * [Enterprise DLP](https://www.paloaltonetworks.com/sase/enterprise-data-loss-prevention?ts=markdown) * [Prisma Access](https://www.paloaltonetworks.com/sase/access?ts=markdown) * [Prisma Browser](https://www.paloaltonetworks.com/sase/prisma-browser?ts=markdown) * [Prisma SD-WAN](https://www.paloaltonetworks.com/sase/sd-wan?ts=markdown) * [Remote Browser Isolation](https://www.paloaltonetworks.com/sase/remote-browser-isolation?ts=markdown) * [SaaS Security](https://www.paloaltonetworks.com/sase/saas-security?ts=markdown) * [AI-Driven Security Operations Platform](https://www.paloaltonetworks.com/cortex?ts=markdown) * [Cloud Security](https://www.paloaltonetworks.com/cortex/cloud?ts=markdown) * [Cortex Cloud](https://www.paloaltonetworks.com/cortex/cloud?ts=markdown) * [Application Security](https://www.paloaltonetworks.com/cortex/cloud/application-security?ts=markdown) * [Cloud Posture Security](https://www.paloaltonetworks.com/cortex/cloud/cloud-posture-security?ts=markdown) * [Cloud Runtime Security](https://www.paloaltonetworks.com/cortex/cloud/runtime-security?ts=markdown) * [Prisma Cloud](https://www.paloaltonetworks.com/prisma/cloud?ts=markdown) * [AI-Driven SOC](https://www.paloaltonetworks.com/cortex?ts=markdown) * [Cortex XSIAM](https://www.paloaltonetworks.com/cortex/cortex-xsiam?ts=markdown) * [Cortex XDR](https://www.paloaltonetworks.com/cortex/cortex-xdr?ts=markdown) * [Cortex XSOAR](https://www.paloaltonetworks.com/cortex/cortex-xsoar?ts=markdown) * [Cortex Xpanse](https://www.paloaltonetworks.com/cortex/cortex-xpanse?ts=markdown) * [Unit 42 Managed Detection \& Response](https://www.paloaltonetworks.com/cortex/managed-detection-and-response?ts=markdown) * [Managed XSIAM](https://www.paloaltonetworks.com/cortex/managed-xsiam?ts=markdown) * [Next-Generation Identity Security](https://www.paloaltonetworks.com/idira?ts=markdown) * [Privileged Access Management](https://www.paloaltonetworks.com/idira/human/privileged-access-management?ts=markdown) * [Identity and Access Management](https://www.paloaltonetworks.com/idira/human/identity-and-access-management?ts=markdown) * [Endpoint Privilege Manager](https://www.paloaltonetworks.com/idira/human/endpoint-privilege-manager?ts=markdown) * [Identity Governance](https://www.paloaltonetworks.com/idira/human/identity-governance?ts=markdown) * [Workforce Password Management](https://www.paloaltonetworks.com/idira/human/workforce-password-management?ts=markdown) * [Agentic Identities](https://www.paloaltonetworks.com/idira/agentic?ts=markdown) * [Secrets Management](https://www.paloaltonetworks.com/idira/machine/secrets-management?ts=markdown) * [Unified Secrets Governance](https://www.paloaltonetworks.com/idira/machine/unified-secrets-governance?ts=markdown) * [Application Credentials Delivery](https://www.paloaltonetworks.com/idira/machine/application-credentials-delivery?ts=markdown) * [Vendor Privileged Access](https://www.paloaltonetworks.com/idira/human/vendor-privileged-access?ts=markdown) * [Threat Intel and Incident Response Services](https://www.paloaltonetworks.com/unit42?ts=markdown) * [Proactive Assessments](https://www.paloaltonetworks.com/unit42/assess?ts=markdown) * [Incident Response](https://www.paloaltonetworks.com/unit42/respond?ts=markdown) * [Transform Your Security Strategy](https://www.paloaltonetworks.com/unit42/transform?ts=markdown) * [Discover Threat Intelligence](https://www.paloaltonetworks.com/unit42/threat-intelligence-partners?ts=markdown) Company * [About Us](https://www.paloaltonetworks.com/about-us?ts=markdown) * [Careers](https://jobs.paloaltonetworks.com/en/) * [Contact Us](https://www.paloaltonetworks.com/company/contact-sales?ts=markdown) * [Corporate Responsibility](https://www.paloaltonetworks.com/about-us/corporate-responsibility?ts=markdown) * [Customers](https://www.paloaltonetworks.com/customers?ts=markdown) * [Investor Relations](https://investors.paloaltonetworks.com/) * [Location](https://www.paloaltonetworks.com/about-us/locations?ts=markdown) * [Newsroom](https://www.paloaltonetworks.com/company/newsroom?ts=markdown) Popular Links * [Blog](https://www.paloaltonetworks.com/blog/?ts=markdown) * [Communities](https://www.paloaltonetworks.com/communities?ts=markdown) * [Content Library](https://www.paloaltonetworks.com/resources?ts=markdown) * [Cyberpedia](https://www.paloaltonetworks.com/cyberpedia?ts=markdown) * [Event Center](https://events.paloaltonetworks.com/) * [Manage Email Preferences](https://start.paloaltonetworks.com/preference-center) * [Products A-Z](https://www.paloaltonetworks.com/products/products-a-z?ts=markdown) * [Product Certifications](https://www.paloaltonetworks.com/legal-notices/trust-center/compliance?ts=markdown) * [Report a Vulnerability](https://www.paloaltonetworks.com/security-disclosure?ts=markdown) * [Sitemap](https://www.paloaltonetworks.com/sitemap?ts=markdown) * [Tech Docs](https://docs.paloaltonetworks.com/) * [Unit 42](https://unit42.paloaltonetworks.com/) * [Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information](https://panwedd.exterro.net/portal/dsar.htm?target=panwedd) ![Palo Alto Networks Logo](https://www.paloaltonetworks.com/etc/clientlibs/clean/imgs/pan-logo-dark.svg) * [Privacy](https://www.paloaltonetworks.com/legal-notices/privacy?ts=markdown) * [Trust Center](https://www.paloaltonetworks.com/legal-notices/trust-center?ts=markdown) * [Terms of Use](https://www.paloaltonetworks.com/legal-notices/terms-of-use?ts=markdown) * [Documents](https://www.paloaltonetworks.com/legal?ts=markdown) Copyright © 2026 Palo Alto Networks. All Rights Reserved * [![Youtube](https://www.paloaltonetworks.com/etc/clientlibs/clean/imgs/social/youtube-black.svg)](https://www.youtube.com/user/paloaltonetworks) * [![Podcast](https://www.paloaltonetworks.com/content/dam/pan/en_US/images/icons/podcast.svg)](https://www.paloaltonetworks.com/podcasts/threat-vector?ts=markdown) * [![Facebook](https://www.paloaltonetworks.com/etc/clientlibs/clean/imgs/social/facebook-black.svg)](https://www.facebook.com/PaloAltoNetworks/) * [![LinkedIn](https://www.paloaltonetworks.com/etc/clientlibs/clean/imgs/social/linkedin-black.svg)](https://www.linkedin.com/company/palo-alto-networks) * [![Twitter](https://www.paloaltonetworks.com/etc/clientlibs/clean/imgs/social/twitter-x-black.svg)](https://twitter.com/PaloAltoNtwks) * AU Select your language