CISOs confident about security and gen AI risks

Over half of CISOs believe generative AI is a force for good and a security enabler, whereas only 25 percent think it presents a risk to their organizational security according to a new survey.

The survey of the ClubCISO community, in collaboration with Telstra Purple, highlights CISOs' confidence in generative AI in their organizations.

In addition, 45 percent of respondents suggest they now allow generative AI tools for specific applications, with the CISO's office making a final decision on their use. Only 23 percent also have region-specific or function-specific rules to govern generative AI use. The findings represent a marked change from when generative AI applications first landed following the launch of ChatGPT and when data privacy and security concerns were top-of-mind risks for organizations.

Despite ongoing concerns around the data privacy of specific applications, 54 percent of CISOs are confident they know how AI tools will use or share the data fed to them, and 41 percent have a policy to cover AI and its usage. In contrast, only nine percent say they don't have a policy governing the use of AI tools and have not set out a direction either way. 57 percent of CISOs also believe that their staff are aware and mindful of the data protection and intellectual property implications of using AI tools.

Rob Robinson, head of Telstra Purple EMEA, says:

While we do still hear examples of proprietary data being fed to AI tools and then that same data being resurfaced outside of an organization's boundaries, what our members are telling us is that this is a known risk, not just in their teams, but across the employee population too.

Generative AI is rightly being seen for the opportunity it will unlock for organizations. Its disruptive force is being unleashed across sectors and functions, and rather than slowing the pace of adoption, our survey highlights that CISOs have taken the time to understand and educate their organizations about the risks associated with using such tools. It marks a break away from the traditional views of security acting as a blocker for innovation.

You can find out more on the Telstra blog.

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