Decision integrity under attack: Artificial intelligence and the future of business continuity planning

Abstract

Artificial intelligence (AI) is increasingly embedded in organisational systems, shaping decision making, resource management, and crisis response. Achieving AI-resilient continuity is not just about faster recovery or stronger systems; it involves maintaining decision integrity, governance quality, and human judgment during intelligent disruptions. While AI enhances efficiency and resilience, it also introduces risks that traditional continuity planning does not fully address. Unlike conventional disruptions, AI-enabled attacks may not cause immediate system failures, yet they can degrade decision accuracy, situational awareness, and governance even while operations appear normal. This paper examines how AI alters the nature of disruption and challenges assumptions about visibility, human oversight, and linear recovery. Through practical scenarios, it illustrates how data poisoning, adversarial inputs, compromised models, platform dependencies, and misinformation threaten organisational continuity. The paper proposes principles for AI-resilient planning that protect decision integrity, enable human override, strengthen governance alignment, and incorporate AI-specific exercises. This framework provides practitioners with actionable guidance for sustaining reliable decision making under AI-driven disruption. This article is also included in The Business & Management Collection which can be accessed at https:// hstalks.com/business/.