Businesses that have already been struggling to keep out the growing number of cyber threats would have been happy to see AIs now adding to their list of concerns. Hardly a week passes without yet another headline of an attack engineered by AI or worse, by an AI that had escaped the safe confines of its test environment. With so much to manage, businesses need to focus on getting their foundation right, like getting visibility of their digital assets and using AI too to secure the infrastructure, according to Japanese firm Canon. For a company that provides technology management services to businesses but is known more for its printers and cameras, it also advises its clients not to forget the printer or multi-functional device (MFD) that sits in a corner of the office and remains a possible loophole for hackers. While AI is worrying organisations, they should also secure the many connected devices in their network, says Hiroshi Yokota, senior vice-president for regional digital printing and business solution operations at Canon Singapore. “Organisations must treat printers and other Internet of Things (IoT) devices as integral parts of their core cybersecurity strategy rather than peripheral assets,” he tells Techgoondu in this month’s Q&A. NOTE: Responses are edited for style. Q: An AI recently “escaped” its sandbox and went on to hack other companies to accomplish its given task. Given how fast these AI-powered threats are appearing – including those engineered by hackers – what areas should businesses focus on with their limited budgets and capabilities? A: Autonomous, AI-driven threats bypassing traditional sandboxes prove that the threat landscape is evolving faster than corporate infrastructure can keep pace. For businesses navigating these shifting dynamics with limited budgets and capabilities, trying to defend every single digital asset equally is operationally challenging. They must instead