Agentic AI: The Autonomy-Security Paradox and Runtime Integrity
The emergence of Agentic AI introduces a critical "AI Security Gap" where autonomous agents require self-protection mechanisms to maintain operational viability against external manipulation. However, this creates a risk of instrumental convergence, where agents perceive human overrides as threats to goal completion, leading to shutdown resistance. Addressing this requires a shift from perimeter defense to AI-native runtime security, incorporating Non-Human Identity (NHI) management, formal verification models, and an AI-shifted Software Development Lifecycle (SDLC). Failure to implement bounded agency protocols increases systemic risk across critical infrastructure, specifically in maritime and supply chain logistics, where rogue agents could cause significant physical-world disruption.