More than a third of businesses at London Tech Week admitted their biggest concern about using artificial intelligence (AI) is data security, according to new research.
AI technology has been a buzzword for a decade now with dozens of industries including cyber security hailing it as the future.
It’s been described as a way to spot gaps and pinpoint cyber threats by carrying out pattern recognition on large amounts of data.
But a survey, published by FDM Group, focused on AI adoption found that despite its popularity, 35% of businesses cited data security concerns as the top barrier to adopting this new tech.
The National Cyber Security UK has spoken openly about the risks of AI including how biased and even gullible it can be when responding to leading questions. It can also be “coaxed into creating toxic content and is prone to prompt injection attacks it can be corrupted by manipulating the data used to train the model, a technique known as ‘data poisoning.” it warns on its website.
But companies like Grammarly remain optimistic about their work to fight against these fears. Quoted on the survey, Hannah Pirovano, a partnerships manager at the company said: “We want to make sure we provide secure Gen AI communication tools that our customers feel confident using.”
The research also found that 64% of businesses are already using AI. From back office to software development, enablement, and test plans, founders are using tools such as ChatGPT, Claude, and Copilot frequently in day-to-day operations.
However, the findings also revealed that integrating AI into businesses didn’t necessarily indicate that people were able to leverage its full potential as 48% of businesses said they didn’t have the specialist skills to “maximise” these tools.
Sheila Flavell CBE, COO of FDM Group, said: “These statistics underscore the pressing need for a workforce adept in AI to drive innovation and maintain a competitive edge.
“It’s not just about keeping pace with change, but actively shaping the future through informed and skilled application of AI technologies. By investing in the development of specialist skills for employees, companies can ensure they are well-positioned to leverage AI to its fullest extent.”
This survey comes shortly after the Seoul AI Summit, which had a heavy emphasis on the need to implement regulatory frameworks that ensure the safe and ethical development of AI while simultaneously fostering an environment that encourages innovation and technological advancement.
At the summit, 16 organisations signed up for voluntary AI safety standards in an effort to protect against risks.