AI is changing how businesses work. It is also changing how businesses manage access to their systems. Today, companies use service accounts, API keys, cloud workloads, bots, and AI agents to perform tasks without direct human involvement.
These identities are growing quickly. In fact, machine identities now greatly outnumber human identities in many enterprise environments. This is creating a new security challenge for businesses.
The focus on this area is also growing across the cybersecurity industry. The acquisition of CyberArk by Palo Alto Networks in 2026 shows the growing importance of identity security as AI and machine-based systems become more common.
As more businesses use AI agents, they need better ways to control what these systems can access. In the non-human identity access management market this is driving interest.
What Is a Non-Human Identity?
A non-human identity is a digital identity used by a machine, application or automated system rather than a person. Examples of non-human identities are service accounts, API keys, access tokens, machine certificates, workloads, bots and AI agents.
Human identities are usually associated with employees or other users. Their access can be controlled based on their role. Non-human identities are different. They can run in the background and connect with different systems without direct human action.
AI agents make this issue even more important. To complete a task an AI agent may need to access databases, software, files, or APIs. It therefore needs its own identity and permissions.
As companies use more automation, the number of non-human identities continues to grow. Managing these identities has become an important part of enterprise security.
Key Growth Drivers
AI Agent Proliferation in the Enterprise
AI agents are moving beyond simple chatbots. Businesses are using them to search information, work with applications, process data, create reports, and complete tasks. This creates a new access challenge. An AI agent may need to use several systems to complete one task. If it receives more access than needed, it can create a security risk.
Across enterprises the number of AI agents is also increasing. As these agents become part of daily business operations, companies need to know which agents are active, what systems they can access, and who is responsible for them. This is increasing demand for AI agent access governance. To safely manage AI agents companies need better visibility and better controls.
High-Profile M&A & Funding Momentum
The growing importance of non-human identities is also visible in the cybersecurity market. Palo Alto Networks completed its acquisition of CyberArk in February 2026 in a deal valued at about $25 billion. The deal brought together capabilities focused on human, machine, and agentic identities. This reflects the wider shift toward managing different types of identities through integrated security platforms.
Funding activity is also increasing around NHI security. New companies are building tools to discover machine identities, manage secrets, control access and protect AI agents. This shows that NHI security is moving out of a small cybersecurity niche and into the mainstream of enterprise identity security.
Governance & Credential Challenges
For large organizations managing non-human identities can be difficult. A company may have thousands of API keys, service accounts, certificates, tokens, and other credentials. Some may be created for a single application or task but remain active long after they are needed. This leads to access sprawl. Security teams may not always know which identity owns a credential or why it still has access.
Credential rotation is another challenge. Machine credentials can be stored inside applications, scripts, cloud platforms, and automated workflows. Changing them without affecting business operations can be difficult. AI agents add another layer to the problem. They can perform tasks across different systems and may need different levels of access depending on the task.
So companies need tools to discover these identities, monitor their activity, control what they can do and revoke their access when it’s no longer needed.
Why Is NHI Security a Major Cybersecurity Category in 2026?
The rise of AI agents has made identity security more important than before. To interact with enterprise systems AI agents need identities. This means security teams now need to think about not only who can access a system, but also what can access it.
Non-human identity security is also becoming part of major cybersecurity discussions. The industry is seeing more solutions that focus on machine identities, secrets, workloads, and AI agents. The vendor landscape is also shifting as traditional identity security companies, privileged access management vendors and cybersecurity vendors are expanding their products to cover machine and AI-based identities, which is helping NHI security to become a more visible part of enterprise cybersecurity planning.
Market Outlook, 2026–2034
The non-human identity access management market is expected to grow as businesses increase their use of cloud applications, APIs, automation, machine identities, and AI.
According to Polaris Market Research, the global market was valued at USD 10.94 billion in 2025. It is estimated to reach USD 12.19 billion in 2026 and is projected to reach USD 29.61 billion by 2034, registering a CAGR of 11.70% from 2026 to 2034.
The use of cloud-native applications, machine-to-machine communication, zero-trust security and automated credential management are driving the market. Enterprises are also looking for better ways to manage secrets, certificates, API keys and workload identities.
FAQs
What is a non-human identity and why is it a security risk?
A non-human identity is used by machines, applications, APIs, or AI agents. It can be risky if it has too much access, outdated credentials, or poor monitoring.
How many AI agents does the average enterprise have?
There is no fixed number. It depends on the company and its use of AI. As AI adoption grows, enterprises are using more AI agents and machine identities.
What is NHI security?
NHI security protects and manages machine identities such as API keys, service accounts, certificates, and AI agents. It helps control access and reduce security risks.
Conclusion
AI agents and other machine-based systems are becoming an important part of enterprise operations. As their numbers grow, businesses need better ways to manage their identities and access. The non-human identity access management market is growing around this need. Stronger identity governance, automated credential management, and better AI agent access controls can help enterprises reduce security risks.
Explore the latest market trends, growth opportunities, key segments, regional insights, and forecasts in the Non-Human Identity Access Management Market with the full report from Polaris Market Research.
