Today, technology plays a significant role in fueling the entire world’s shift into a more dynamic system. And one of the most sought-after techs nowadays is Artificial Intelligence (AI). It’s a branch of computer science that’s interconnected with numerous disciplines, promising enhanced efficiency and higher levels of autonomy and automation.
In a nutshell, it’s a double-edged technology that acts as the catalyst of the industrial revolution. It works together with Machine Learning (ML) that analyzes numerous data simultaneously, aiming to find patterns via algorithms. As a result, organizations and governments can perform significant feats with this combination, increasing innovation and business performance.
AI and its ability to gather and analyze data
It’s no secret that the digital world is fueled by data, which makes it challenging to take care of manually. It would take too much time, effort, and resources to do so without yielding valuable results. As a result, the world turns to AI for help because it can gather and analyze vast sums of data in a time-efficient manner. And for most businesses, AI has become a necessity. Companies utilize it to know their customers on a deeper level.
With the data they gather, AI can foresee what the customers want to do next, helping companies provide a better customer experience. It has dramatically improved the online shopping scene, because users are now greeted with tailored product recommendations on their homepage. Because of this personalized experience, customers feel more appreciated and connected with the brand. But although AI has various perks, it still poses a plethora of digital, physical, and political risks.
Data security in AI technology
It is true that AI tech seems to have limitless potential, but it’s also true that it has cybersecurity risks that shouldn’t be ignored. Here are some of the data security risks within the AI industry.
1. Data gathering
As a netizen, you might have already encountered searching for an item on the Internet and suddenly seeing ads for the same product on social media platforms like Facebook and Instagram. Some may find it unique, but it can be creepy at times because it’s like the AI is following you across various platforms. It may come across that a marketer equipped with AI technology knows what you want better than yourself.
2. Data privacy loophole
There are different AI algorithms, and they each collect different types of data. Most begin with basic personal info such as your name, age, gender, and location. However, it’s equally important to know that more sophisticated algorithms could track your shopping and spending patterns along with the products you often look for. In fact, there are some countries where operators can buy your data without your consent.
Social media platforms are some of the most advanced industries in this field. But unfortunately, they often take advantage of how easy it is to update their terms and conditions, ultimately finding loopholes within their privacy settings. As a result, most consumers have no idea that their data is being exposed to other operators.
3. Abuse of power
In the industry, it’s not only marketers who can use various data to their advantage. Most of the time, AI may also help government agencies find, profile, and locate individuals with or without their consent. And with this in mind, it’s crucial to understand that giving governments unrestricted access to control citizens’ private lives wouldn’t end on a good note. Due to this abuse of power, there are some claims that users should have adequate control over who collects, revises, stores, and exchanges their data. And at the very least, everyone needs to know who is using their data and why.
4. Hacking through AI technology
Smart technology is, well, smart – and it keeps on getting smarter. As time goes by, machine learning accelerates. By now, everyone can already see that artificial intelligence is slowly shifting from being artificial into being more intelligent. And as it improves, cybercriminals’ ability to use more sophisticated tools and methods also increases. Nowadays, AI-powered malware can easily infect your devices via untraceable applications, which are almost impossible to remove. As such, the damage is often irreparable.
How to minimize AI’s data security vulnerabilities
Government bodies now require data security measures to protect individuals against unwanted AI-powered cybercrimes. For example, the European Union mandated the General Data Protection Regulations (GDPR) act. It gives netizens more control over their personal data, making it virtually impossible for organizations to engage in malicious data-collection practices. GDPR and other data masking best practices will continue to protect users from unwanted AI-driver cyberattacks.
Takeaway
AI technology’s constant evolution continues to keep everyone on their toes because it may negatively affect their data security. And with such rapid advances, it’s safe to say that AI will continue to spread at a volatile rate. So aside from heightened concerns about how robots are stealing jobs from ordinary people, the risk of a colossal data breach also comes into play. Even though the technology is there to make our lives more convenient, it’s important to take data security measures for proper protection.
