AI 'interaction' security gap grows
CIOs are flagging a new security gap as Microsoft scales Copilot-style tools—AI can bypass traditional controls at the interaction layer—and analysts expect firms to shift from copilots to outcome-driven AI platforms by 2028. That transition raises fresh governance and operational risk questions for banks and fintechs embedding AI in customer and underwriting workflows. ( )
Microsoft announced Wave 3 of Microsoft 365 Copilot on March 9, 2026, introducing “Copilot Cowork” and other agentic features in a blog post by Jared Spataro. (microsoft.com) The vendor signalled a commercial push around the same time with a new Microsoft 365 E7 enterprise tier planned for general availability on May 1 at $99 per user per month, and an expanded Agent 365 control plane to support partners and customers. (crn.com) Microsoft’s own platform experienced a data-control failure: a defect tracked as CW1226324 caused Microsoft 365 Copilot Chat to process and summarize emails labeled “confidential,” a condition first detected in late January 2026 and publicly reported on February 18, 2026. (techcrunch.com) Financial firms are already embedding agentic AI at scale: Westpac began a global rollout of Microsoft 365 Copilot for 35,000 employees and contractors in February 2026, including internal Copilot Studio agent builds for HR and IT. (westpac.com.au) Market infrastructure vendors are wiring licensed data into those agents: LSEG and Microsoft announced in October 2025 that agents built in Copilot Studio can be enabled with LSEG‑licensed datasets (more than 33 petabytes of AI‑ready content) via an LSEG‑managed MCP server. (news.microsoft.com) Analyst forecasts are accelerating the architectural debate: Gartner on April 2, 2026 predicted that by 2028 over half of enterprises will favour outcome‑focused workflow platforms over assistive copilots, and said vendors must embed agent orchestration into systems of record with identity, permissions and audit at the control plane. (gartner.com) Regulatory and operational boundaries for banks are concrete: Copilot Consulting maps specific obligations — SEC recordkeeping, FINRA communications supervision, FFIEC IT exam standards and GLBA privacy rules — that apply when Copilot outputs touch client advice, underwriting or supervised communications. (copilotconsulting.com) Industry transformation frameworks call for coordinated change: Deloitte’s “Agentic enterprise 2028” blueprint prescribes integrated governance, data controls, workforce redesign and model‑risk processes to safely scale agentic AI across outcomes‑oriented workflows. (deloitte.com)
