Samsung is the latest entity to take a stand against emerging generative artificial intelligence (AI) tools as they rapidly infiltrate major industries around the world.
The company will ban its employees from using generative artificial intelligence tools like ChatGPT, Bloomberg reported on May 2. The new policy comes after Samsung employees uploaded "sensitive code" to the platform.
Samsung told employees that as interest in artificial intelligence platforms grows, so do security risks. The internal memo highlighted concerns about data sent to AI platforms and its potential to be stored on external servers with little control over retrieval or deletion. "Headquarters is reviewing safety measures to create a safe environment for the safe use of generative artificial intelligence to improve employee productivity and efficiency." However, it went on to say that until those measures are in place, the company is "temporarily restricting the use of generative artificial intelligence" . This includes banning the use of AI-generating tools on Samsung-owned computers, tablets, phones and its internal network.
Additionally, any employees who use such tools on personal devices are asked not to submit any company information or risk "disciplinary action, up to and including termination." In April, Samsung conducted an internal survey of generative AI tools, in which 65% of Respondents considered the technology a security risk.
Samsung isn't the only major company expressing concerns about the emerging technology. Since the beginning of the year, companies including JPMorgan Chase, Bank of America, Goldman Sachs and Citigroup have limited or banned the use of tools like ChatGPT. However, man y of These companies are developing their own AI tools. JPMorgan created a ChatGPT-based tool that analyzes Fed statements to decipher trading signals. Samsung is also developing AI tools for translating and summarizing documents.
