When AI writes the code: Why software integrity matters more than ever

The way we build software is undergoing a profound shift. AI-assisted coding tools like GitHub Copilot or Cursor are no longer experiments - they are becoming part of the daily workflow in development teams worldwide. This accelerates innovation, but it also reshapes the attack surface in ways that security leaders are only beginning to grapple with.

Experts are raising the alarm

According to Gartner analysis, AI-generated code will expand the software supply chain attack surface, requiring organizations to strengthen their controls. The U.S. Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) has repeatedly emphasized that digital trust depends on verifiable and secure software development processes.

The concern is not theoretical. Past incidents like the Sunburst attack on SolarWinds showed that even properly signed software can be compromised when attackers infiltrate the build pipeline. In an AI-driven world, where new code can be generated and deployed at unprecedented speed, the risk of malicious or vulnerable code slipping through only increases.

From code integrity to software integrity

We already understand how to ensure code integrity from publisher to user: code signing guarantees that a piece of software has not been modified since it was signed. But that says nothing about how the software was built, whether code reviews and scans were performed, or whether dependencies were manipulated upstream.

Analysts and regulators alike are now calling for a shift from code integrity to software integrity - ensuring that the entire process behind a release is trustworthy. That means verifying the provenance of source code and 3rd party components, enforcing policies, and maintaining a provable chain of custody from source code to final binary.

Why this matters in the AI era

When code is written by machines, the traditional “developer accountability” model easily breaks down. Who takes responsibility for the AI’s output? Was it reviewed, tested, scanned, and approved? Without reliable process enforcement, organizations risk deploying software that is signed and trusted - but silently compromised.

This is why leading frameworks like SLSA and the EU’s Cyber Resilience Act emphasize end-to-end verification and traceability. In the future, organizations will not just need to ship secure software - they will also need to prove it.

The way forward: Zero Trust for CI/CD pipeline

To stay ahead, development and security teams must adopt a Zero Trust mindset for software pipelines:

• Don’t trust individual build configurations.

• Enforce reviews, scans, and approvals automatically.

• Ensure every signature represents not just authenticity but verified process integrity.

This is the only way to maintain digital trust in an era where software is increasingly written by machines and deployed at machine speed.

Closing the loop with DevSec360

At SignPath, we believe this shift is inevitable. That’s why we built DevSec360 - a Zero Trust software integrity platform that enforces both artifact and process integrity. It ensures that only software of verifiable provenance that has passed verified policy checks ever receives a trusted signature.

Signed doesn’t mean secure. In the AI era, only verifiable integrity across the entire pipeline can deliver trustworthy software.