Security concerns continue to hinder organizations eager to adopt generative AI, according to a new report.
The report, which surveyed 800 IT and business leaders across the United States, Canada, and Western Europe, identified security as the “top roadblock” to AI adoption.
Cited by 38% of respondents, security emerged as the most significant challenge to integrating this rapidly developing technology into workplaces. “While organisations on the sidelines grapple with challenges related to cost, data quality, and daunting infrastructure integration/modernization requirements, security remains the top roadblock,” stated the research, co-sponsored by Enterprise Strategy Group (ESG) and Hitachi Vantara.
“GenAI security remains a hot topic as organisations seek to overcome challenges such as data privacy, confidentiality, potential misuse/abuse, data leaks, unauthorised access, and more.”
Other concerns surrounding generative AI include:
– Cost and technical debt (27%)
– Data availability and quality (27%)
– Integration challenges with workflows and/or processes (25%)
This comes despite 97% of organisations viewing generative AI initiatives as a top-five priority, according to the report.
These security concerns are not unfounded, given that IT leaders worldwide have urged caution in using generative AI tools to prevent leaks of confidential corporate information.
Jesse Todd’s comments
Jesse Todd, CEO of EncompaaS, previously told HRD that even “seemingly harmless data uploads can contain metadata or context,” risking the exposure of sensitive information. “This can lead to unintentional exposure of confidential details,” he warned.
Despite these risks, some organisations are moving forward with generative AI and using it as an opportunity to improve their security measures, according to the ESG and Hitachi Vantara report. The report noted a growing trend of organisations “embracing the potential of GenAI to enhance certain secure measures and tasks, such as providing advanced threat detection and enhancing automated response systems.”
“Between security challenges and potential benefits, decision-makers must strike a careful balance in their pursuit of GenAI,” the report concluded.
