Data governance key to AI security

MUSCAT: The development in AI security is advancing every day, but so are the sophistication and skills of hackers threatening information security across the globe, according to the participants of the Oman AI Security Conference.
It was inaugurated by Eng Said bin Hamoud al Maawali, Minister of Transport, Communications and Information Technology, in Muscat on Tuesday.
In his keynote address, Said bin Abdullah al Mandhari, CEO of ITHCA Group, highlighted that the importance of technology depends on how much organisations invest in people.
In an exclusive interview with Observer, Al Mandhari said, 'AI security is not anymore the security of infrastructure. It is the trust of data models, and all this comes with trusted, talented, and accountable people to serve the purpose. Therefore, the governments have to invest in talents, and the talents will make the difference in how AI security can be achieved. This is sovereignty, and sovereignty requires good investment in people. Only your own people can achieve the sovereignty countries are looking for.'
Artificial intelligence is not only accelerating innovation across industries, governments, and economies, but it is also reshaping the cyber threat landscape at an unprecedented speed. Alongside AI-driven attacks, the emerging reality of post-quantum computing now challenges the very foundations of traditional data security.
The co-founder and CEO of Securado, Krishnadas KT, explained that the AI Security Conference (AISEC) 2025 stands as Oman's premier executive forum, dedicated to propelling the national agenda for artificial intelligence and cybersecurity.
'This conference is not about technology, but it is about responsibility. Responsibility for how AI has been governed and processed. Most of the time when data is fed to AI, it can neither be deleted or erased and this poses a big threat to society. It is not a problem for the industry but is a problem for human privacy,' said Krishnadas.
So the objective is to create awareness for the society to have the right controls in place before they get into the use of AI.
Data governance is one of the biggest challenges that is being faced at the moment.
Almost every AI is built on data.
'It is transforming data into knowledge. Once it is learned, we cannot remove it. So what is being fed into the data and LLModels? No governance policies exist as of today,' pointed out Krishnadas.
Cybersecurity was once built to respond. Today, the response alone is no longer enough. We believe security must be predictive, adaptive, and intelligent. This belief led to the creation of the Digital Vaccine, an evolution of Managed Security Services (MSSP) designed for an AI-first, quantum-ready world.
'Much like a biological vaccine, Digital Vaccine continuously identifies new and unknown attack patterns, learns from every attempted breach, and builds defence mechanisms before damage occurs,' he explained.
The urgency is real, according to the experts, because post-quantum risks will soon render many of today's encryption methods ineffective, exposing sensitive data that was once considered secure. At the same time, AI-powered cyber threats are becoming autonomous, faster, and more targeted-operating at machine speed and scale.
As Oman accelerates its digital transformation, the question is no longer if cyber risks will evolve, but how prepared we are to face them, noted the CEO of Securado.
According to the organisers, the conference is very committed to responsibly leveraging Artificial intelligence to protect digital environments, enhance cyber defences, and promote ethical innovation in alignment with Oman Vision 2040.
Speaking on cybersecurity in the age of AI, Raed Abudayyeh from Palo Alto Networks explained how quickly hackers are able to hack and grab information.
'Five years ago, this was in weeks. Three to four years ago, it was done in 48 hours. Now it is in minutes. They go from your network all the way to getting data out. So attackers are leveraging AI massively,' Abudayyeh explained.
Dr Fatma al Maqbali, representing the Oman Chamber of Commerce and Industry, speaking on building cyber-resilient governments in the age of AI, noted the issues that need to be looked into are the speed of AI threats Vs. policy threats, skills in AI cybersecurity, and dependence on external vendors. Looking at the road-map for Oman, she said, 'In the short term: AI risk assessment; in the medium term: policy and skills; and in the long term: it is adaptive cyber governance.
Two panel discussions were held - 'Reimagining tomorrow- C Suite's strategies for AI powered transformation' and 'The Changing Threat Landscape: AI Risks and Opportunities.'