Agentic AI and the Future of Identity: A Deep Dive with Okta’s CTO of Customer Identity (Episode 163) #DataTalk

Welcome to “Fraud Frontlines,” a special limited series within the DataTalk™ podcast, hosted by Kathleen Peters and dedicated to exploring the latest trends and strategies in fraud prevention.

In this episode, Kathleen Peters is joined by Bhawna Singh, Chief Technology Officer, Customer Identity at Okta, to discuss the transformative impact of agentic AI on identity, security, and fraud landscapes. Bhawna shares her insights on how agentic AI, with its autonomous decision-making capabilities, is reshaping identity verification and fraud prevention. She emphasizes the need for robust identity controls and the challenges of managing AI agents, highlighting the importance of discoverability and lifecycle management to prevent rogue activities. The conversation also touches on the changing nature of fraud and security attacks, where traditional measures must adapt to new dynamics.

Bhawna Singh is a senior technology executive with 25+ years of experience in successfully transforming products and scaling technology for a global user base. In her career as an executive leader, board member, and investor, Bhawna has worked across multiple high-growth companies to grow & scale platforms from 0 to 100+ million monthly users, led global expansion of products, navigated through complex acquisitions and spearheaded innovation to drive user growth and engagement, delivering multi million dollar revenue growth.  Currently as CTO at Okta, Bhawna leads tech strategy and vision for its Customer Identity product serving billions of logins per month. Before Okta, Bhawna was the CTO at Glassdoor, a worldwide leader on insights about jobs and companies built on the foundation of increasing workplace transparency. Prior to Glassdoor, Bhawna held positions at Ask.com (an IAC company), Sybase (now SAP), and AT&T along with several consulting roles. Bhawna sits on the Advisory board of early stage startups and VC groups. Bhawna’s deep expertise in the area of high-growth, enterprise SaaS, AI & cybersecurity is frequently published in the press and podcasts.

Kathleen Peters leads innovation and strategy for Experian’s Fraud and Identity business in North America, continuously exploring new ways to solve market challenges in identity, risk, and fraud detection. She and her team define business strategies and investment priorities while incubating new products, analyzing industry trends and leveraging the latest technologies to bring ideas to life. Kathleen joined Experian in 2013 to lead business development and global product management for Experian’s newest fraud products. She later served as the Head of the North America Fraud & Identity business, until being named Chief Innovation Officer for Decision Analytics in 2020. Kathleen has twice been named a “Top 100 Influencer in Identity” by One World Identity (now Liminal), an exclusive list that annually recognizes influencers and leaders from across the globe, showcasing a who’s who of people to know in the identity space. For nearly two decades, she has lived in the heart of Silicon Valley in California, working for a variety of companies including early-stage technology startups. Living in this epicenter of fast-paced innovation, leading-edge technology and disruption influences Kathleen’s own approach to strategy and business thinking at Experian. Kathleen is regularly quoted in prominent media outlets. A sought-after speaker and thought leader, Kathleen frequently shares her insights on innovation, AI and fraud prevention at industry conferences and events.