AI Cybersecurity and Liability Concerns

More than one in three organizations are currently using artificial intelligence (AI) technology, according to a 2022 IBM survey. And 42 percent of survey respondents said they were looking into AI and considering on incorporating it into their business processes.

Legal, financial and healthcare organizations have the additional concern of compliance with industry-specific federal laws protecting the disclosure of personal data. However, organizations in all industries need to protect their data against AI cybersecurity and liability concerns. 

RELATED ARTICLE: How Long Does it Take to Detect a Cyberattack?

Wondering where to start? We’ve compiled a short list for you to ponder as you begin to think about cybersecurity and liability as it may be related to future AI projects within your organization:

• Lack of Transparency and Human Oversight
• Data Corruption and Poisoning
• Financial Fraud
• Privacy Concerns
• Potential of Bias and Discrimination

Lack of Transparency and Human Oversight

Identifying a potential cyberattack can be tricky. Doing so within an AI-enabled system can be even more complicated. Organizations need to be vigilant in monitoring 24/7 for anomalies in machine behavior that may indicate a cyberattack.

Especially if your AI system could be making decisions that could negatively impact humans, then you need a diverse group of human trainers who can identify potential risks early on. Include in this group individuals from legal, compliance, risk management, etc. Also, be sure to pilot test your AI prior to product launch. The feedback you will receive from this test group will be invaluable.

Data Corruption and Poisoning

AI technology is increasingly the target of cyberattacks. If a hacker changes the data going into an AI-enabled process, it could create a ripple effect and magnify the altered data, creating roadblocks or incorrect analyses within your system. Restricting access to training data can reduce this risk. Keeping an archive of your training data is also a great safety measure as it can be used to identify when and how the cyberattack may have occurred.

Financial Fraud

Hackers could use AI-enabled technology to quickly create false identities, launch phishing attacks and commit costly crimes that could result in financial fraud and compromise the identities of your customers. In addition to liability concerns, an attack such as this could damage the trust you’ve built with your customers or even cause them to leave and seek out a competitor.  

Privacy Concerns

AI technology commonly processes large amounts of data, some of which may be personal and at risk for privacy concerns. In addition, AI has the potential to be used to conduct surveillance of large areas and monitor human behavior – with the potential to use flawed models that could restrict individual freedoms. This is why human oversight of AI technology is necessary to prevent concerns such as these from turning into privacy violations.

Potential of Bias and Discrimination

Human oversight of AI training must be vigilant in removing any potential biases. In the event that biased data is used in training, an AI system could replicate these biases and perpetuate discriminatory decision-making within its model. Personal descriptive data such as gender, age, sexual orientation, race or ethnicity has the potential to be misused by AI through flawed and biased training models. Every organization using AI technology should have ethical guidelines, security measures and rules in place to prevent the potential of AI-based bias and discrimination.

Your Partner for Cybersecurity

AI can help organizations process data faster and accomplish more goals in less time. Working with a technology management partner such as Elevity, can provide you with the expertise needed to reduce AI cybersecurity and liability concerns for greater peace of mind. Request an introductory consultation and we’ll help you explore options and address key questions and concerns to find what fits best for your organization.  

Wonder what your organization’s cybersecurity risk level currently is? We invite you to take our free cybersecurity risk assessment. Just click the link below, answer a few, quick questions. We’ll provide you with your risk score and some next steps to help enhance your cybersecurity.