THE USE OF ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE IN COMPANIES:Advantages that do not pose a threat to data protection?

The use of artificial intelligence in companies can significantly and sustainably improve production performance – but it also poses serious risks.

Artificial intelligence” (AI) is technology that enables computer systems to perform tasks that actually require human intelligence. AI is already being used in many industries to automatically process labour-intensive and time-consuming repetitive tasks that require many manual steps with the help of intelligent software solutions. For example, AI can be used on websites as a chatbot by asking it questions via a chat, to which it then provides answers specific to the question, thus ensuring contact with customers around the clock. This not only contributes to customer satisfaction, but also significantly reduces the workload on human workers.

But it is not only “question and answer” systems that are AI-enabled: By setting up automatic, digital inboxes, for example, AI can also facilitate the retrieval and assignment of customer messages, calculate deadlines or create customer profiles.

Clearly enormous potential. It is obviously advisable to identify internal company work structures and their potential for improvement in order to then make them more automated and effective by applying industry-specific tools with AI. Productivity and customer satisfaction could be sustainably increased.

So is an option with unlimited possibilities and no drawbacks? No quite.

Despite all the application euphoria, we must not overlook the fact that the use of AI also creates new problem areas. In particular, problems arise with regard to the protection of internal company data. If personal and confidential data is entered into the AI tool when using it to write a client letter, for example, other users will also be able to access this data in the future. Cases of such unintentional data disclosure by a company’s employees are unfortunately not uncommon and, among other things, entail the risk of fines due to violations of the regulations of the GDPR as well as damage to the company’s image.

Companies must effectively counter these dangers. If the use of AI is educated and attentive to the dangers, a company could reap great benefits from the use of these systems in the future. Suitable measures for this include training employees on the (data-)secure handling of AI, as well as setting up an internal AI channel that prevents confidential data from being disclosed unnoticed. AI guidelines that provide guidance on possible questions to ask the AI are also indispensable.