The cybersecurity aspect in the implementation of artificial intelligence is analyzed by 92% of companies in Poland, with 37% of them taking into account this area only to a limited extent, according to the EY Poland survey “How Polish companies implement AI”.
The use of AI-based solutions in many companies is already becoming the norm and an opportunity to significantly increase the effectiveness of its activities. However, like any technology, this one brings both opportunities and threats, with the forefront of virtual risks. The results of the EY survey indicate that for domestic entrepreneurs, issues related to cybersecurity in the implementation of AI tools are important. More than half (55%) are considering this aspect, and another 37% consider it to a limited extent. 3% of respondents completely ignore this topic, it said.
“As artificial intelligence applications grow, new threats are emerging that require the protection of networks and IT systems from attacks. Companies in Poland declare that they analyze potential risks, but in many cases the practice looks less optimistic. AI is seen mainly as a technological novelty and is associated with solutions such as chatbots. Meanwhile, this is a completely new area of risk, and many companies are not prepared for cyber threats. We will include attacks using personalized phishing messages, attempts to extort with messages containing voice recordings deceptively similar to the voice of people we know, or easier to write codes by hackers who want to find vulnerabilities in the software. The result of the increasingly free and dangerous use of AI tools is the growing problem of leaking sensitive data,” said Piotr Ciepiela, the leader of the Cybersecurity Team in the EMEIA region.
An important type of cybersecurity activity is the introduction of appropriate procedures for the use of AI systems. The EY survey shows that the majority of respondents (40%) implemented the policy of using both internal and publicly available AI tools, e.g. chatbots. Under the control of 26% of companies, there is only the use of external systems, and 30% are just considering the adoption of any rules, it emphasized.
Respondents are aware of the risks, which is why chatbots are increasingly being regulated in many companies. Almost half (47%) allow the use of them in certain cases, and 15% allows it only for business purposes. One in four organisations (24%) has not yet introduced any policies in this area, but it analyzes this possibility.
“Companies in Poland use different approaches to risk management related to the implementation of the AI system. Almost one in three respondents (31%) identified the most important risks associated with its implementation in their organization and tries to prevent them. The second group consists of companies that carry out a risk analysis before the implementation of a specific system (26% of responses). A significant percentage (27%) are respondents who verse in general, typical AI-related risks, without focusing on aspects specific to their organization. In turn, every tenth company (10%) manages risk when adapting artificial intelligence tools, using the same approach as when implementing any other IT system.
The weakest link in maintaining a high level of cybersecurity is employees – their insufficient level of knowledge or errors most often lead to the company’s exposure to cyber attacks. To counteract this, organizations implementing AI tools will secure in advance. One of the most popular ways is to introduce procedural solutions (e.g. employee training), which was indicated by 36% of respondents. Another option is to increase the number of solutions at the level of tools (31% of responses), and every fifth company (20%) implemented both procedural and tool security.
The study “How Polish companies implement AI” was developed on behalf of EY Polska by Cube Research in the period August-September 2023 on a sample of 501 large and medium-sized enterprises operating in the manufacturing, service and commercial industries.
Source: EY Poland and ISBnews
