Key Takeaways:
- Billions of IoT devices are creating new cybersecurity risks, with too many endpoints for human teams to monitor alone.
- Agentic AI enables autonomous detection and action, providing faster, more scalable defense mechanisms across networks.
- Human oversight remains essential in critical IoT applications, where automated responses could have real-world safety implications.
Billions of IoT devices are flooding our networks, prompting increased cybersecurity risk. Every connected sensor, smart device, and edge system creates a potential entry point that human defenders simply can’t monitor. The result is a sprawling and dynamic threat surface—one that changes by the second.
Agentic AI changes everything for IoT security.
As these networks grow, traditional monitoring tools fall short. The convergence of AI, IoT security, and edge computing is creating unprecedented opportunities. Agentic AI—the application of autonomous, goal-driven software agents—offers a way forward.
According to Syed Zaeem Hosain, founder and Chief Evangelist at Aeris, “Agentic AI automation is a logical next phase in AI deployments today in general, not just cybersecurity. Automation, resulting from the deployment of Agentic AI, is the backbone of the cybersecurity space, as it provides rapid responses that are critical in the event of an attack. This is especially true in IoT applications, where the sheer volume of data processed daily can be overwhelming and prone to increased vulnerabilities.”
Agentic AI enables self-directed software agents to detect anomalies, trace attack paths, and take containment action at a scale no human team could match. This includes isolating infected devices, revoking credentials, or blocking malicious traffic—all in real time.
But with great power comes the need for precision. Not all automation is appropriate in every environment.
“Before setting up automation for an IoT device, there must be careful considerations of its implications in the event of a breach,” Hosain said. “For example, automatically disabling units in a simple data-gathering IoT application, such as sensor data reads, is very different from automatically disabling large numbers of critical devices (e.g. medical units where human lives may be at risk). In the latter scenario, human oversight over automated, Agentic AI-driven actions may be vital to avoid harming people.”
This distinction points to a more nuanced future: not just Agentic AI in isolation, but in partnership with human operators, governed by policies tailored to the risk profile of each device or deployment.
Many organizations are already piloting these approaches. Smart cities are testing autonomous agents that monitor utility infrastructure, rerouting traffic or isolating systems at the first sign of compromise. Industrial operators are introducing security agents at the edge that can cut off rogue commands before they reach machinery. Telecom providers are embedding AI agents to protect mobile networks from anomalous behavior originating from user devices or IoT gateways.
The advantage of Agentic AI is its flexibility. These agents can be configured to respond only under certain conditions, escalate to human teams when thresholds are crossed, or learn from prior incidents to improve future decision-making.
At the same time, their power must be bounded by thoughtful design. In highly sensitive sectors—such as healthcare, aviation, and energy—fail-safes and manual overrides are essential. Agentic AI can act fast, but trust is built through transparency, predictability, and collaboration with human teams.
Organizations moving toward this model should consider the following:
- Map your IoT landscape: Understand which devices, data streams, and systems are critical versus expendable.
- Set guardrails: Determine which actions agents can take autonomously and where escalation is required.
- Implement auditability: Log every agent decision, outcome, and revision so humans can evaluate performance.
- Test under load: Use simulations to see how agents behave in real-world attack scenarios before going live.
As billions of new devices come online over the next decade, the future of IoT security will not rest solely on firewalls or manual threat hunting. It will depend on smart, embedded agents—trained not just to detect, but to act.
And while Agentic AI is not a silver bullet, it may be one of the most powerful tools yet in the race to secure our increasingly connected world.
Learn about the latest in IoT at AIOT World Expo, Feb 10-12, 2026 Fort Lauderdale, Florida.
Rich Tehrani serves as CEO of TMC and chairman of ITEXPO #TECHSUPERSHOW Feb 10-12, 2026 and is CEO of RT Advisors and is a Registered Representative (investment banker) with and offering securities through Four Points Capital Partners LLC (Four Points) (Member FINRA/SIPC). He handles capital/debt raises as well as M&A. RT Advisors is not owned by Four Points.
The above is not an endorsement or recommendation to buy/sell any security or sector mentioned. No companies mentioned above are current or past clients of RT Advisors.
The views and opinions expressed above are those of the participants. While believed to be reliable, the information has not been independently verified for accuracy. Any broad, general statements made herein are provided for context only and should not be construed as exhaustive or universally applicable.
Portions of this article may have been developed with the assistance of artificial intelligence, which may have contributed to ideation, content generation, factual review, or editing.
