Understanding the Emerging Security Challenges
Generative AI is transformative, driving productivity and efficiency gains across the board. It is extremely powerful and highly accessible, democratizing the ability to quickly create complex outputs and automate tasks across industries and user skill levels. Yet this groundbreaking technology and its rapid proliferation brings a new set of challenges for organizations related to data security and privacy. A foundational paper from Liminal titled, “Ensuring Security in the Era of Generative AI,” provides an in-depth analysis of the data risks inherent with generative AI, and offers a blueprint for safe deployment. Let’s explore key insights from this paper.
NOTE: For more in-depth insights, download the full foundational paper here.
Identifying the Risks
There are 3 major risk categories related to data security that organizations face when integrating generative AI:
- Regulatory compliance risk - the potential for regulated data like PHI, PII, or PCI to be inadvertently exposed beyond an organization's control, or being improperly stored and accessed within the company
- Sensitive data and IP risk - the ability for intellectual property, trade secrets, or other proprietary data to be leaked externally
- Reputational risk - the concern that models may ingest or output offensive, discriminatory, or derogatory information
Employees Aren’t Waiting
As organizations evaluate when and how they want to adopt and deploy generative AI, research shows that workers are rapidly embracing the technology - often without authorization:
- 91% of respondents stated they’re familiar with generative AI, and 64% report using it at work at least weekly
- Over 50% of reported users are leveraging generative AI without formal approval
- Nearly 70% of works have never completed or received training on how to use generative AI ethically and safely
- 63% of respondents reported they would be comfortable sharing some personal or proprietary information with generative AI tools
A Call for Multi-Layered Security
The most effective security strategy for organizations is a layered approach that integrates policy frameworks, robust processes, and technology. It is critical to establish thorough AI security policies and comprehensive training programs. Technologically, an appropriate security posture should leverage encryption, data anonymization, and AI-powered cybersecurity solutions to protect against external threats and preserve data integrity.
Liminal’s Placement In a Multi-Layered Approach
Liminal plays a crucial role in helping organizations establish and enforce robust security policies for generative AI usage. With tools for setting granular security controls and data governance policies, The Liminal Platform enables companies to specify which users have access to which generative AI models, the types of data that can be shared, and how that data should be treated. Liminal is model agnostic and works across any generative AI interaction, whether that be through direct engagements, via off-the-shelf applications with generative AI-enabled components, or within applications built in-house.
Liminal provides a centralized hub to set and manage generative AI security protocols across all engagements. With Liminal, security teams have full observability into how generative AI is being leveraged across the organization, real-time alerting for rapid response to potential security risks, and an auditable log for informing decisions on usage, compliance, and policy guidelines.
The Future of Generative AI
Generative AI is not just a passing trend; it's a significant technological advancement that is reshaping how work gets done. The benefits are substantial, and so are the risks. A comprehensive, multi-layered security approach is imperative to mitigate these risks and enable organizations to embrace generative AI's full potential.
Liminal is the technology security layer for organizations looking to deploy and use generative AI. Click here to talk to the team or to get a demo of the Liminal Platform.
To access the entire foundational paper, “Ensuring Security in the Era of Generative AI,” you can download a copy here.