27 % of organizations (more than a quarter) have banned the use of generative AI tools in their workforce due to concerns about privacy and security , according to the Cisco 2024 Data Privacy Benchmark Study.
Most organizations have also put controls in place on these tools. Nearly two-thirds (63%) have put limits on what data can be imported. Also, 61% have placed restrictions on which Gen AI tools employees can use.
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Despite the current restrictions (which may be temporary), many organizations have imported sensitive data into generative AI applications . For example, information about internal processes (62%), employee names or other details (45%), non-public company information (42%), and information customer names or (38%) were imported.
AI can impact privacy by creating user profiles based on collected data. These profiles can be used to tailor advertising and other services, but can also lead to privacy violations if not handled properly.
The majority of organizations consider generative AI to be a very different technology that poses new unique challenges, which in turn require new techniques for managing data and potential security risk.
The biggest concerns are about violating the organization's legal and intellectual property rights (69%). Other concerns include the potential for information to be publicly shared with competitors (68%) and the potential for incorrect results to be returned (68%).
Amid these issues, 91% of security professionals acknowledged that they need to do more to reassure customers about the use of data with artificial intelligence.
The lack of transparency in how AI works can create problems. The difficulty in understanding how advanced AI models work and how they make decisions can lead to uncertainty and distrust from the public.
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Privacy is critical to commercial success
Nearly all (94%) security and privacy professionals said their customers would not buy from their organization if data was not properly protected.
Fortunately, 97% feel they have a responsibility to use data ethically , and 95% argue that the business benefits of investing in privacy outweigh the costs.
Harvey Jang, Vice President and Chief Privacy Officer at Cisco, noted that compliance with data shows consumers that organizations are adequately protecting their data.
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“These statistics are the highest we have seen in Cisco’s privacy research in years, proving once again that privacy has become inextricably linked to customer trust and loyalty. This is even more true in the age of AI, where investing in privacy improves organizations’ positions to leverage AI ethically and responsibly,” said Jang.
Source: www.infosecurity-magazine.com
