Handelsblatt Cybersecurity Conference 2025: The Risks of Shadow AI

This year's Cybersecurity Conference 2025, hosted by Handelsblatt and held on 27 and 28 November 2025 under the motto "Cybersecurity 2025: Increased Threat – Innovative Responses", provided an essential platform for exchange on the most pressing challenges in the field of cybersecurity.

Our NENNA.AI CEO, Lars Moll, was on site as a speaker on 28 November and drew attention to an often underestimated risk: Shadow AI.

The threat of cyberattacks is constantly growing. According to Bitkom, the damage in Germany alone amounts to 202.4 billion euros annually. A crucial factor that is often overlooked in this context is the uncontrolled use of AI tools in daily work. This is known as shadow AI.

Lars Moll illustrated this problem with a simple but powerful analogy: "Imagine writing confidential information like an IBAN on a postcard. Anyone could read it. This is exactly the risk that shadow AI poses: while we exercise this caution with postcards, sensitive data all too often ends up in prompts for ChatGPT, Gemini, and other AI tools." He emphasised the danger that arises when employees enter sensitive information into freely accessible AI models without considering the consequences for data protection and security.

As the "NENNA Awards Winner" of the ATHENE Center Startup Awards, Lars Moll highlighted on behalf of NENNA.AI in his presentation: "Shadow AI is a blind spot in cybersecurity. Companies worldwide invest billions in cyber defence while simultaneously allowing data leaks via AI models in the browser during daily work." This discrepancy represents a significant security risk, as uncontrolled AI use can open the floodgates to the loss of intellectual property and confidential corporate data.

The conference was also a platform for other innovative minds and award-winning startups such as Infrafon, ONEKEY, as well as the ATHENE Digital Hub Cybersecurity expert Clara Pfeuffer, whom NENNA.AI thanks for the great initiative and the presentation of the award.

In addition to the startup pitches, the conference offered other exciting insights, including case studies such as the one by Dr Andre Witte on attacks and hacker incidents at BVB, as well as solution approaches from business and political experts, such as the Federal Office for Information Security (BSI).

The Handelsblatt Cybersecurity Conference 2025 provided important momentum and highlighted the need to proactively counter shadow AI. NENNA.AI remains committed to enabling companies to use Artificial Intelligence in secure and GDPR-compliant ways, fostering innovation without compromising security.