Safe & Secure AI Use in Businesses: Key Considerations for Entrepreneurs

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In this article, we will be covering some important steps you can take as a business owner to make sure you are maximising the utility of AI systems – but doing so with squeaky clean cyber-security.

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As the implementation of AI across businesses globally becomes the norm – with 78% of companies now using AI for at least one process in their business, it is vitally important to make sure you are using AI in a safe & secure manner, without putting your data, your clients data or even the legality of your operations at risk, especially in an environment where the threat of cyber-attacks is heightened. 

Developing an AI Policy

 

When exploring and implementing artificial intelligence in your business, it’s important to make sure everybody in your company is on the same page – a key way to do this is by developing a thorough artificial intelligence policy that sets out clearly in which areas of the business AI will be used and when it shouldn’t.

 

Things to consider when developing an AI policy include setting out clearly which AI tools such as LLM’s (large language models) are going to be used, making sure your staff are aware of data protection laws that must be followed and setting up an internal system to make sure there is a degree of human-led checks on anything outputted by AI.

 

For in-depth advice on how to develop your business’s AI policy, articles such as this one from Corporate Governance Institute provide a great starting point and a template to develop your own policy.

Understanding Risks & Threats

 

When developing your own AI systems or using existing systems, it is vital to understand the threats that come with doing so – particularly when it comes to data that you may be internally handling. A 2024 UK government report found that the design phase of AI systems posed numerous vulnerabilities, such as a lack of proper security software, inadequate safeguards for data privacy and insecure storage for data.

 

Furthermore, when these systems are deployed, new threats can emerge, such as prompt extraction, in which third-party software & actors are able to extract confidential information input into prompts, and model stealing, in which attackers are able to access and copy the architecture of a system and gain a business advantage.

 

It is therefore imperative that when you are building or using an AI system, you do your best to mitigate certain weaknesses in the system that may exist, and never input confidential information into huge globally-used models that keep hold of your data, such as ChatGPT.

Training in Proper AI Use 

 

Whether you are a one-man band or have a number of employees, it is vital to engage in training in proper AI use, both in general ethical practice and for specific AI tools that your business may be using. 

 

There are some great online training resources available to kickstart your journey in understanding the fundamentals of AI and how to use it, such as the Google AI Essentials Specialization, which will provide you with an overview of prompt engineering, ethical use and how to use a variety of LLMs and generative tools in under 10 hours.

 

Additionally, for a more in-depth introduction to AI, including training on building your own AI models and tools, the University of Helsinki’s online Elements of AI course comes highly recommended, having been used by over a million people and, like the Google Essentials course, can be completed for free.

 

It may also be useful to see what workshops are available in your area if you’d prefer to kickstart your training in a hands-on, in-person environment. For businesses based in Worcestershire and the surrounding area, BetaDen offers two separate AI-focused workshops: Non-Techie’s Guide to Artificial Intelligence – designed as an introduction into the AI landscape and A Beginner’s Guide to Prompt Engineering – for business owners ready to implement AI into their business to learn practical usage. Keep an eye on the BetaDen events page linked here for upcoming dates.

 

ISO Certification

 

As with any business practice, one of the best ways to ensure and demonstrate your business is using artificial intelligence in a responsible, secure, safe & transparent way is by obtaining an ISO certification. Various providers, such as QSL, now offer the ISO 42001 Artificial Intelligence Management System.

 

This certification ensures and enhances transparency, strengthens the security controls around your AI usage, ensures you are in keeping with compliance laws such as those surrounding data privacy and demonstrates your business’s commitment to using AI in a responsible and fair way. Prices vary depending on the size of your business and the size of your AI operations, but you can find out more information and request a quote here.

 

Follow Government Advice

 

In the advent of the explosion of AI usage and with it, the heightened threat of cyber-attacks, the UK’s National Cyber Security Centre has released official guidance on traversing the AI landscape safely and securely via its website. Pieces from the NCSC worth making yourself familiar with include the Guidelines for Secure AI System Development – targeted towards those building and hosting their own AI systems along with a more general advice piece on wide-ranging cyber security risks when using AI, which can be found here.

 

There are many other great resources available from the NCSC, tailored to your business size. Simply visit the homepage, using the link here and select the option that relates the most to you.

 

Summary

 

In this rapidly changing AI landscape, there are many things to consider when seeking to use AI safely & securely – it is important to think about new cyber security threats, employee training and having a robust AI policy in place. There are, however, tons of free resources available to make secure AI use a less daunting prospect. Using a mix of some of the suggestions above, you should be well on your way to watertight AI usage in your business.