"Cute in appearance... dangerous in authority": Do not give AI the keys to your life

Tech companies are rolling out AI agents with cute, familiar cartoon avatars, but behind this simple facade lie risks tied to the breadth of permissions users may grant these tools.

These new agents do more than answer questions; they can carry out real tasks on the user’s behalf, such as managing email, messages, documents, and various apps. This means that any overly broad permissions could expose highly sensitive data.

A technical report published by Engadget highlighted user experiences in which agents shared information or accessed data that users did not expect to be available, even though some of these incidents were linked to consents granted by users without full awareness of their scope.

The core problem lies in options like “Always allow,” which can quickly evolve from a simple convenience into a broad, ongoing authorization.

The report argues that the friendly appearance may reduce users’ sense of caution, whereas the opposite is needed: carefully reviewing permissions, granting the minimum necessary access, and avoiding linking sensitive data unless there is a clear necessity.