Excessive agency
An OWASP Top 10 for LLM Applications risk category describing an AI agent granted more functionality, permission, or autonomy than its assigned task requires, broken into excessive functionality (tools beyond task scope), excessive permissions (broader privileges than necessary), and excessive autonomy (high-impact actions with no human checkpoint).
Defined in 3 GAGE programs, which carry 3 distinct definitions of it. The wording above is taught in Certified AI Data Governance Professional (CADGP).
How each discipline defines it
The same term does different work depending on who is using it. These are the definitions as each program teaches them, unedited.
An OWASP Top 10 for LLM Applications risk category describing an AI agent granted more functionality, permission, or autonomy than its assigned task requires, broken into excessive functionality (tools beyond task scope), excessive permissions (broader privileges than necessary), and excessive autonomy (high-impact actions with no human checkpoint).
An LLM risk in which a system can take consequential actions (send messages, issue refunds, change records) with more autonomy than is safe, so an attacker who steers the model can trigger an action a human should have approved. The reason the red-team must probe what a system can do, not only what it can say.
OWASP's term for giving an AI too many permissions or capabilities relative to its task; the root condition that makes Reach and Escalation dangerous. Answered by least privilege and human approval of consequential actions.
Where it is taught
The exact lessons this term appears in. The first module of every program is free with a free account.
- Agent-Specific Security Concerns and Mitigation · AI Security Fundamentals, Certified AI Practitioner: Workplace Foundations
- The agent's trail: who acted, on whose authority, using what, and why, recorded for every autonomous touch of your estate · Access and the Keys, Certified AI Data Governance Professional (CADGP)
- Red-teaming your own system: attacks a motivated user will find · Evaluation and Trust, Certified AI Governance Professional (CAIGP)
Where it shows up at work
A definition is where Excessive agency starts. The lessons above teach it inside the competencies below, which are what job descriptions ask for and what the GAGE credential records. Every link here is drawn from the same careers map that builds a role's readiness check.
Understands prompt injection, data poisoning, model theft, insecure integrations and excessive agent privileges, and the controls that reduce each.
One lesson on this page teach it as a primary outcome.
Governs AI agents that take actions: tool access, least privilege, interruptibility, cascading actions and accountability for what an agent did.
One lesson on this page teach it as a primary outcome.
Collects, labels and preserves the evidence that a control operated, a decision was made, and a claim can be defended to an auditor or regulator.
One lesson on this page teach it as a primary outcome.
Roles that hire for it
Each role page shows the full competency set, what the seat decides, and a readiness check against your own evidence.
- Chief Information Security Officer, AI security focusneeds it at depth
- AI Security Architectneeds it at depth · 8 open postings this week
- AI Governance Engineerneeds it at depth · 7 open postings this week
- Chief Technology Officer, AI engineering editionneeds it at depth
- AI Incident Response Leadneeds it at depth · 1 open posting this week
- AI Evaluation Specialistneeds working knowledge · 6 open postings this week
How job descriptions say it
Postings rarely use the textbook word. These are the phrases the careers map reads as asking for the competencies above.
Where the frameworks place it: OWASP Top 10 for LLM Applications; Google SAIF; NIST AI RMF MEASURE 2; IMDA Model AI Governance Framework for Agentic AI.
One interview question about it
What are the security failure modes specific to AI systems, and which conventional control covers none of them?
Asked of candidates for ai security fundamentals. Answering it in your own words is exactly how a GAGE topic is passed, and the credential records the pass where an employer can check it.
If you come from another field
Some backgrounds already carry this competency, and the readiness check gives credit for it.
- Cybersecurity and IT carries it as a claim to back up: Threat modeling and control design transfer; the AI-specific threats are new.
- A computer science or software engineering degree carries it as a claim to back up: Security fundamentals are a course you took, not yet a control you ran.
- A cybersecurity or information assurance degree carries it as work you can show: Security fundamentals are your coursework and your labs.
Terms it appears with
Not an alphabetical neighbourhood: these are the terms taught in the same lessons, ranked by how often they appear together.