CISOs and CIOs must balance the need to restrict sensitive data from generative AI tools with the need for businesses to use these tools to improve their processes and increase productivity, added John Allen, vice president of cyber risk and compliance at Darktrace, a global cybersecurity AI company.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
\u201cMany of the new generative AI tools have subscription levels that have enhanced privacy protection so that the data submitted is kept private and not used in tuning or further developing the AI models,\u201d he told TechNewsWorld.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThis can open the door for covered organizations to leverage generative AI tools in a more privacy-conscious way,\u201d he continued, \u201chowever, they still need to ensure that the use of protected data meets the relevant compliance and notification requirements specific to their business.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In addition to the generative AI usage policies that businesses are putting in place to protect sensitive data, Allen noted, AI companies are also taking steps to protect data with security controls, such as encryption, and obtaining security certifications such as SOC 2, an auditing procedure that ensures service providers securely manage customer data.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
However, he pointed out that there remains a question about what happens when sensitive data finds its way into a model \u2014 either through a malicious breach or the unfortunate missteps of a well-intentioned employee.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cMost of the AI companies provide a mechanism for users to request the deletion of their data,\u201d he said, \u201cbut questions remain about issues like if or how data deletion would impact any learning that was done on the data prior to deletion.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
ExtraHop researchers also found that an overwhelming majority of respondents (nearly 82%) said they were confident that their organization\u2019s current security stack could protect their organizations against threats from generative AI tools. Yet, the researchers pointed out that 74% plan to invest in gen AI security measures this year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cHopefully, those investments don\u2019t come too late,\u201d the researchers quipped.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cOrganizations are overconfident when it comes to protecting against generative AI security threats,\u201d ExtraHop Senior Sales Engineer Jamie Moles told TechNewsWorld.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
He explained that the business sector has had less than a year to fully weigh the risks against the rewards of using generative AI.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWith less than half of respondents making direct investments in technology that helps monitor the use of generative AI, it\u2019s clear a majority may not have the needed insight into how these tools are being used across an organization,\u201d he observed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Moles added that with only 42% of the organizations training users on the safe use of these tools, more security risks are created, as misuse can potentially publicize sensitive information.<\/p>\n\n\n\n