AI Is Speeding Up Code Production – And Risk

A recent report on The Hacker News highlighted how AI tools are helping development teams ship 10 to 50 times more code than before. The same story pointed out that security teams still work at human speed, creating a dangerous gap. This matters because when code output jumps that much, the number of vulnerabilities and dependencies can explode too. Attackers are also using AI to find weak spots faster. So businesses face pressure from both sides – more code to protect and smarter threats to defend against.

For Australian companies, this is not just a problem for big tech firms. Any small or mid-sized business using AI to write or generate code could soon face a backlog of security issues that grows faster than the team can fix them. The old model of “write, scan, fix” simply cannot keep up when code is created at machine speed. That is why this topic demands urgent attention.

Why Traditional Security Methods Fall Short

The usual approach to application security relies on scanning tools that find flaws and then a human team that prioritises and patches them. But when developers use AI assistants, they produce many more lines of code in the same time. That means more files, more third-party libraries, and more potential entry points for attackers. Scanners alone do not solve this – they only generate a longer list of problems to review. The real question is how to build security into the development process itself, not just add it as a separate step afterward.

Another issue is that AI models can introduce their own mistakes. They may suggest code that looks correct but contains subtle security bugs. And because the code is generated quickly, developers may not examine every line carefully. Security teams need new ways to enforce safe defaults, automate checks before code reaches production, and track risks across the whole software supply chain. Waiting for vulnerabilities to appear in a report is no longer fast enough.

What This Means for Australian SMBs

Australian small and mid-sized businesses often have small IT teams and limited security budgets. If they adopt AI coding tools without updating their security practices, they could end up with a huge number of unmanaged risks. A single mistake in a library or a flawed AI-generated function could lead to a data breach that costs thousands of dollars and damages customer trust. Many SMBs also rely on third-party software and cloud services, so the supply chain risk is real.

Meanwhile, cyber criminals are not slowing down. They use AI to create convincing phishing emails and to scan for weak points in business systems. For an Australian SMB, the gap between development speed and security control can quickly become a weakness that attackers will exploit. The good news is that with the right practices, smaller teams can still stay safe without slowing down innovation.

What You Can Do Now

  • Set clear rules for how developers can use AI tools. Require that any AI-generated code be reviewed by a second person before it goes into production.
  • Automate security checks inside your development pipeline. Use tools that scan dependencies and run security tests every time code is pushed, so issues are caught early.
  • Train your team on secure coding with AI. Make sure everyone understands that AI suggestions are not always safe and that they need to verify inputs, outputs, and permissions.
  • Manage your software supply chain closely. Keep an inventory of all third-party libraries and monitor them for known vulnerabilities. Use only trusted sources.
  • Conduct regular, smaller security reviews rather than waiting for big audits. A quick weekly check on new code and dependencies can prevent a backlog from building up.

These steps may sound basic, but they become critical when code output multiplies. For Australian SMBs that lack a dedicated security team, outsourcing some of these checks to a trusted partner like MS&VG can help close the gap without adding extra workload. Our team offers practical guidance on securing AI-driven development at a pace that fits your business.