Give AI agents the least access that works
An AI agent with access to your mail, files and admin tools can be talked into using all of them. Start small.
AI agents that read your email, open files and click around in tools are moving from demos into real offices. The useful ones need access. The risk is giving them all of it on day one.
An agent follows instructions, and it can’t always tell your instructions from text it reads in an email or a web page. If it has delete rights, someone else’s sentence can use them.
How I’d set one up:
- Its own account, not yours, so its actions are logged under its name.
- Read-only first. Add write access for one task at a time.
- No admin roles, no payments, no access to HR or finance folders.
- A human approves anything that sends, deletes or pays.
- Review its activity log weekly for the first month.
Treat an agent like a new intern with a fast typing speed: helpful, eager, and not yet trusted with the keys.