Guardians of the Data | Fighting AI Risk with AI - Kevin Feck - Guardians of the Data

Fighting AI Risk with AI - Kevin Feck - Guardians of the Data - Ep #42

May 14, 2026 / 43:59/E42

What would happen if your AI searched all your data right now?

Today’s guest, Kevin Feck, Director of Data Protection and Security Architect, joins Ward to unpack how AI is reshaping the data security landscape.

With over two decades in cybersecurity, Kevin shares why the industry’s long-standing challenges of data classification, access control, and visibility have suddenly become urgent in the age of AI. From the risks of copilots and LLMs to the reality of “AI readiness,” this conversation dives into what organizations are getting wrong and how to fix it.

Kevin also breaks down why trying to “boil the ocean” with data security initiatives often fails, how to scope efforts effectively, and why security teams must evolve from perceived roadblocks to true business enablers.

Takeaways:

Classify Your Data Before Connecting AI to It: AI tools like Copilot can instantly surface sensitive data that used to take weeks to find manually. Granular, contextual data classification is the foundation.
Correlate Sensitive Data With Permissions: Knowing where your sensitive data lives isn't enough. Lock it down to authorized users so AI agents can only access what they should.
Fight AI with AI: Regex based DLP tools are no longer sufficient. Invest in AI powered data security that can understand context, not just patterns.
Build an AI Governance Program: Get lawyers, procurement, security, and technical staff aligned on what "AI" actually means in each vendor contract. Not all "AI" is equal.
Treat User Education as a Core Security Control: No tool is 100% effective without trained users. Ongoing security awareness training is essential to make data classification stick culturally.
Prioritize "Better Together" over a single pane of glass fantasy: No one tool covers every environment perfectly. Integrated tooling with shared intelligence is more effective than waiting for a perfect unified solution.
Hire For Passion, Not Just Credentials: In a field evolving daily, someone deeply motivated to do the right thing will outperform a technically skilled person who is just checking boxes.

Quote of the Show:
“It’s always been about the data. Tell me what that data is and I’ll tell you how much I have to care about it.” - Kevin Feck

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