Samsung has banned the use of generative AI tools like ChatGPT on its internal networks and company-owned devices for fear that uploading sensitive information to these platforms poses a security risk. Bloomberg News reports. The rule was communicated to staff in a memo describing it as a temporary restriction as Samsung works to “create a safe environment” to safely use generative AI tools.
The biggest risk factor is probably OpenAI’s chatbot ChatGPT, which has become extremely popular not only as a toy for entertainment, but also as a tool for serious work. People can use the system to summarize reports or write responses to emails, but that may mean entering sensitive information, which OpenAI may also have access to.
“We are temporarily restricting the use of generative AI”
The privacy risks of using ChatGPT vary based on how a user accesses the service. If a company is ChatGPT’s API, then conversations with the chatbot are not visible to OpenAI’s support team and are not used to train the company’s models. However, this does not apply to text entered into the global web interface using the default settings.
In a frequently asked question, the company says it is reviewing the conversations users have with ChatGPT to improve its systems and ensure it complies with its policies and security requirements. It advises users not to “share sensitive information in your conversations” and notes that any conversations can also be used to train future versions of ChatGPT. The company recently rolled out a feature similar to a browser’s “incognito mode.” Reuters noteswhich does not store any chat history and prevents them from being used for training.
Samsung is clearly concerned about employees playing around with the tool and not realizing it’s a potential security risk.
“Headquarters is reviewing security measures to create a safe environment for the safe use of generative AI to improve employee productivity and efficiency,” the company’s internal memo said. Bloomberg. “However, until these measures are prepared, we are temporarily limiting the use of generative AI.” In addition to limiting the use of generative AI on company computers, phones and tablets, Samsung is also asking employees not to upload sensitive company information through their personal machines.
“We ask that you strictly adhere to our security guidelines and failure to do so may result in a breach or compromise of Company information, which may result in disciplinary action up to and including termination of employment,” the Samsung memo reads. . The South Korean tech giant confirmed the authenticity of the memo Bloomberg. A spokesperson did not immediately respond The edgerequest for comment.
The ban comes after Samsung discovered that some of its staff “leaked internal source code by uploading it to ChatGPT,” according to Bloomberg. There are concerns that uploading sensitive company information to remote servers controlled by AI providers risks it being made public, and limits Samsung’s ability to delete it afterwards. The news about Samsung’s policy comes just over a month after ChatGPT ran into a bug that temporarily exposed some chat histories and possibly payment information to other users of the service.
Samsung’s policy is to join a host of other companies and institutions in placing limits on the use of generative AI tools, though the exact reasons for the restrictions vary. JPMorgan has restricted its use due to compliance issues, CNN reportswhile other banks such as Bank of America, Citigroup, Deutsche Bank, Goldman Sachs and Wells Fargo as well prohibited or restricted the use of such tools. Schools in New York City have banned ChatGPT due to cheating and fear of misinformation, while data protection and child safety concerns have been cited as reasons for ChatGPT’s temporary ban in Italy.
Samsung reportedly has plans for its employees to eventually adopt AI tools, but it sounds like it’s waiting to develop internal solutions. Bloomberg notes that it is working on tools for translation, document summarization, and software development.
Any generative AI restrictions do not apply to devices sold to consumers, such as laptops or phones.
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