Everywhere you look, the use of artificial intelligence, particularly generative AI (GenAI), permeates the digital landscape. According to IBM, nearly 80% of UK businesses either already use GenAI or plan to do so in the next 12 months. While these tools offer incredible potential for efficiency and innovation, they also introduce significant risks, especially concerning sensitive business data. Today, we explore how confidential information could be inadvertently shared through your everyday AI tools and offer some advice on safer use policies to prevent damage.
What is a Language Model?
A language model, specifically a large language model (LLM), is a type of GenAI that generates human-like responses to natural language processing tasks by assigning statistical probabilities to sequences of words.
In simpler terms, tools like ChatGPT and Google Gemini can understand and generate text based on the data they’ve been trained on, making them useful aids in tasks like content creation, customer service, and even code generation.
However, this power comes with the potential to inadvertently share sensitive business data. When using these tools, businesses might not fully realise that the information they input could be stored, processed, and potentially exposed further down the line, both inside the company and externally.
What Kind of Information Could Be Broadcast?
The type of information that could be unintentionally shared or exposed via AI language models largely depends on what you’re putting into them. It could include:
- Source Code: If developers use AI to generate or refine code, the source code—often proprietary and confidential—could be stored or analysed by the AI, increasing the risk of leaks.
- Client Information: Inputting client names, addresses, or other personal information into an AI tool can result in this data being stored and possibly reused in ways that violate privacy laws.
- Financial Data: Sharing internal financial reports or budget details with an AI model could expose your company’s financial position or strategies to external threats.
- Employee Records: HR teams using AI to manage employee information could inadvertently expose personal data, including salaries, health records, or performance evaluations.
- Trade Secrets: Proprietary processes, formulas, or strategic plans shared with AI tools for optimisation or analysis could be at risk of exposure.
- Product Designs: Similarly, using AI to assist with product development or design could lead to the unintentional sharing of proprietary designs or blueprints.
- Legal Documents: Confidential legal strategies or contracts analysed or drafted with the help of AI might become vulnerable to breaches (not to mention inaccuracies).
How Real Is the Risk?
The risk of broadcasting sensitive business data via AI language models isn’t just theoretical. Just like the rest of your business, Generative AI models are susceptible to various attacks, like prompt injection (disguising malicious inputs as legitimate prompts), which can all lead to sensitive data being leaked.
The idea that any info you enter into a GenAI tool won’t reach beyond your organisation is a dangerous misconception. Cyber criminals steal every other kind of credential—your AI logins are just as lucrative a target as your email inboxes. In fact, hackers have already stolen ChatGPT logins, proving that even widely-used AI platforms aren’t immune to breaches.
If this data is shared, businesses face serious legal and reputational issues. Consider the cases of Microsoft, Samsung, and ChatGPT, all of which have encountered sensitive data leaks despite having far larger cyber security budgets than most small businesses.
If it can happen to them, it can certainly happen to you, particularly if you’re not implementing the necessary precautions.
How to Prevent Private Information Being Broadcast
Given the potential dangers of AI, it’s vital to implement strategies like the following:
- Improved Data Protection Protocols
To prevent sensitive business data from being exposed via AI, you need to establish and enforce clear data protection protocols. This includes limiting the types of data that can be input into AI tools and ensuring that any data shared with these models is anonymised where possible. Regular audits of AI usage and the data being fed into these tools are also essential to identifying and mitigating potential risks.
- Enhanced Access Management
Access to AI tools should be tightly controlled. Not everyone in your organisation needs to use these tools, especially for tasks involving sensitive data. Implement role-based access controls to ensure that only authorised personnel can use agreed-upon AI tools and track their usage to detect any unusual activity.
- Cultivating a Privacy Focus
Creating a culture of data protection should be a goal for any business. Educate your team about the dangers of AI and the importance of protecting confidential information. This includes training them to recognise when it’s inappropriate to use AI tools and encouraging them to question whether certain data should be input into these models.
- Consider Your Whole Cyber Security Strategy
AI security is just one part of a comprehensive cyber security strategy. Evaluate your entire cyber defence setup, from firewalls to encryption protocols, to ensure that it can withstand today’s cyber threats.
- Use the Resources Available to You
There are plenty of resources and expertise available to bolster data protection for small businesses—take advantage of them! Partnering with a Managed Security Service Provider (MSSP) can provide you with the guidance and tools you need to secure your AI usage. Additionally, there are free toolkits like this one that can help you identify and manage the risks associated with AI usage.
Be Smart About AI
The use of AI language models like ChatGPT and Gemini is becoming commonplace, and while they offer substantial benefits, they also pose considerable risks to sensitive business data when handled incorrectly.
As long as you’re proactive in your approach, regularly training your team, and leveraging resources like IT support in London, Essex, and Hertfordshire, you can safely harness the power of AI without jeopardising your business.
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