Artificial intelligence has recently become a hot topic in the news, with recent platforms helping us accomplish tasks in ways we’ve never seen before. Many new AI tools have flooded the market, from image generators like DALL-E to the popular ChatGPT, used for copywriting and even teaching doctors about patient communication.
You might feel tempted to jump on the bandwagon and implement these tools in the workplace. But first, it’s essential to step back and determine your organization’s approach.
Experimenting with a platform’s features and functions can be engaging, but without caution, this technology can pose risks to your business’s data, finances, and reputation.
In this blog post, you’ll learn how to develop a responsible business strategy for using AI at work. Keep reading to learn how to leverage these tools’ powerful capabilities – while acting ethically and keeping your data safe.
Artificial intelligence is a system programmed to imitate human intelligence, with the ability to analyze large data sets and make predictions quickly. With that information, these systems can independently decide how it performs a task, thus acting as a real person with the capacity to perceive, recognize patterns, reason, and learn from their experience.
More recently, we’ve seen significant advancements in generative AI, which allows the system to generate something new. Within seconds, it can produce almost anything – like a floor plan for an interior designer or even well-produced music.
While only 25% of American companies presently employ artificial intelligence in their operations, over 60% of business owners believe that artificial intelligence will enhance their productivity, according to recent research. And it’s true — these early adopters have seen these tools reduce time performing mundane tasks, allowing employees to focus on more creative and strategic work.
Depending on your industry, you can use it to communicate with customers, automate processes like updating your records or inventory management, target your advertisements, and even make recommendations to your customers. It can also help streamline performance monitoring, quickly drawing insights to enable you to make data-driven decisions that can help you personalize your offerings for greater customer satisfaction or to allocate your resources better so you minimize waste.
Artificial intelligence may have the power to transform workplace productivity positively, but there’s also reason to be concerned about privacy and security. Bad actors are even using artificial intelligence advancements to disseminate realistic-looking misinformation since it’s becoming increasingly difficult for humans to detect robot-generated text, images, and video.
Large government institutions are raising concerns, with UNESCO recently releasing a policy paper on ethical usage, while many countries are discussing regulation or even outright banning of this advanced technology.
Although these platforms promise to keep your data safe by implementing security tactics like data encryption and access controls, there’s still a risk that your information can be compromised.
For an artificial intelligence platform to provide valuable answers to your queries, you must feed its algorithm with data. Moreover, many platforms also use the data to train the algorithm to provide better quality outputs, so they store the data you give them.
Yet inputting confidential or proprietary information can give external users unauthorized access to your data. Hackers may infiltrate these platforms and steal your data for nefarious purposes, such as identity theft or selling it to third parties.
Many platforms offer users the option to erase the data inputted into their system, but you can still experience risk. For example, ChatGPT still stores your data on their system for 30 days after you delete it.
It can also be dangerous to rely too heavily on information produced by generative AI platforms. These systems are new and prone to making mistakes. If you take their outputs at face value, you might act on faulty information, leading to reputational damage and financial consequences.
Despite the genuine concerns associated with the application of machine learning in business, your organization can still safely incorporate these tools to fuel business growth, provided you formulate robust guidelines.
When creating this new policy for your organization, make sure that you:
Then, structure your protocols to ensure compliance, including plans for policy monitoring and regular reassessment of your business’s use of these tools to adapt as they evolve.
How transparent do you want to be with your customers and other key stakeholders? Consider publishing a statement on your business’s website, perhaps on your blog or accompanying your Privacy Policy. For example, the British weekly journal Nature recently published an editorial about why they are not allowing submissions from people who have used generative AI to entirely or partially created photos, videos, or illustrations.
Beyond simply outlining what your employees can’t do with the tools, it can also be helpful to highlight the value of these intelligent platforms. Outline specific examples of use cases so employees can embrace the potential while avoiding uses that increase the risk of data exposure.
You might be excited about these emerging innovative technologies, but you’re also worried about striking the right balance between protecting your data and embracing the possible opportunities.
You don’t need to navigate these decisions alone. When you hire PC Corp for our Managed IT Services, you’ll gain access to a team of IT experts who will demystify these technologies. Meanwhile, we’ll work behind the scenes to protect your IT infrastructure, implementing measures like DNS Filtering, End-Point Detection and Response, and Backup and Disaster Recovery.
Connect with us today to learn how we can strengthen your cybersecurity posture so you can empower your team to embrace the positive side of AI.