AI Agents in Information Security: Employee Perceptions of Policy Violations and Guidelines

Abstract

The transformative role of Artificial Intelligence (AI), particularly Generative AI (GenAI), is rapidly reshaping professional life. As AI-driven agents become increasingly integrated into workplace interactions, they not only influence human behavior and decision-making but also reshape communication, collaboration, and organisational dynamics. These shifts raise important questions about how AI technologies can enhance productivity while simultaneously redefining human–agent relationships.

In this talk, Ivy will focus on the organisational domain of Information Systems Security (ISS), a critical pillar of stability and trust. While organisations have long relied on human specialists and system notifications to enforce security policies, the role of AI agents in this space remains largely unexplored. We propose that AI agents may serve as effective monitors, reminders, and nudges for employees to comply with ISS policies and best practices—potentially offering advantages over traditional mechanisms.

Drawing on a new experimental study, Ivy will present early but intriguing findings on how employees perceive and respond to AI-driven security interventions compared to human specialists and system notifications. This study is part of a larger multi-study research project, being actively expanded with subsequent studies and mixed-method approaches. Ivy looks forward to sharing results, hearing your perspectives, and engaging in discussion about where this research should go next and how it can most meaningfully contribute to both scholarship and practice.

Biography

Lingyao (Ivy) Yuan is an Associate Professor in the Department of Information Systems and Business Analytics and the Kingland Graduate Director of Business Analytics at the Debbie and Jerry Ivy College of Business, Iowa State University. She earned her Ph.D. in Information Systems from Indiana University in 2015. Her research focuses on digital humans, virtual agents, and artificial intelligence, with particular attention to non-cognitive behavior and decision-making processes in human–AI interactions. Her work advances understanding at the intersection of technology and human behavior and has appeared in leading outlets such as Harvard Business Review, Information Systems Research, Journal of Management Information Systems, Journal of the Association for Information Systems, and Decision Sciences. Beyond her research, Ivy serves as President of Midwest AIS and sits on the editorial boards of the International Journal of Electronic Commerce and AIS Transactions on Human-Computer Interaction.