Black Friday 2025: IA generativa impulsiona o varejo, mas exige proteção para evitar brechas de segurança

Black Friday is one of the most sought-after dates for retail and represents a peak in personal data traffic. This significant increase makes transactions more exposed to attacks; a scenario that becomes even more complex with the growing adoption of generative AI. 

Although the technology offers benefits such as offer personalization, marketing automation, and demand forecasting, it can also amplify the risk of breaches if not accompanied by robust controls.

As explained by José Miguel, pre-sales manager at Unentel, “Generative AI is a powerful ally for retail, but it requires the same care as any other high-impact tool. The challenge lies in ensuring that efficiency gains do not come at the expense of security.”.

Companies in the sector are already seeking to integrate cybersecurity solutions to work in conjunction with generative AI, capable of monitoring sensitive data flows and identifying suspicious behavior in real time. These tools allow IT teams to anticipate threats and adjust access policies before an incident occurs—an important advancement compared to traditional defense models, based solely on reacting to attacks.

According to a KPMG study, 33% of companies in the consumer and retail sector already adopt AI partially or broadly, but only 14% use generative AI, with growth projected to reach 60% in the next three years. The survey also reports that investment directed towards AI and digital in the sector is expected to rise from 9% of the IT budget to approximately 13.8% in the same period. 

Even among those who already invest, obstacles such as information security (58%), lack of technical skills (56%), and inconsistent data (47%) appear as barriers. 

To safely harness the potential of generative AI during Black Friday, José Miguel recommends the following immediate actions:

Prevention before detection: Choose cybersecurity solutions that focus on preventing attacks, not only on detecting or reacting to them afterwards.

Arquitetura segura: Implement protection layers that limit access to sensitive data, with multi-factor authentication, privilege management, and periodic permission reviews.

Continuous monitoring: Adopt systems that identify atypical behavior and trigger automatic responses when necessary, reducing incident detection and mitigation time.

Pagamentos blindados: Ensure that transactions pass through certified gateways, use end-to-end encryption, and are evaluated by real-time anti-fraud solutions.

“When generative AI is used with vigilance, robust technical infrastructure, and clear prevention policies, retail minimizes risks and gains credibility with consumers, a decisive differentiator during high-sales-volume and highly competitive dates,” concludes José Miguel.