The Munich research institute fortiss is looking for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) as research partners for a joint project on the secure use of AI agents. The goal is to develop a practical security framework that facilitates the use of autonomous AI systems for companies while considering IT security requirements and regulatory guidelines. The joint application is to be submitted within the KMU-innovativ funding program .

AI agents are increasingly taking on complex tasks such as the automation of business processes, the processing of sensitive company data, or the analysis of large amounts of information. At the same time, the requirements for safety, transparency, and compliance are rising. The planned framework aims to ensure that AI agents only perform authorized actions, detect manipulation attempts such as prompt injection or jailbreak attacks, and automatically consider legal requirements – for example from the EU AI Act – automatically.

The research approach includes four components: reliable identity verification for users and agents, real-time protection against attacks, the automated implementation of regulatory and operational requirements, as well as digital proofs with which the security and compliance of the AI systems can be documented. The project's goal is a prototype that enables the secure use of AI agents in companies and supports the transfer of technology into practice.

Sought are SMEs in the fields of Artificial Intelligence, Software Development or Cybersecurity, which would like to bring in a concrete use case. Possible application scenarios range from the automation of ERP, CRM, or HR processes through AI-supported knowledge management to agent-based market and trend analyses. The partners define the requirements from the business practice, accompany the validation of the prototype, and contribute to the exploitation of the project results.

According to fortiss, the participating companies benefit from early access to new security solutions for AI agents, technical know-how for implementing the EU AI Act, and close collaboration with researchers. After the successful approval of the joint application, the research work is supported through the KMU-innovativ funding program .