AI contributes to a more complex privacy landscape

Despite many organizations reporting significant business gains from using GenAI, data privacy is still a major risk. Notably, 64 percent of respondents to a new survey worry about inadvertently sharing sensitive information publicly or with competitors, yet nearly half admit to inputting personal employee or non-public data into GenAI tools.

The latest Data Privacy Benchmark Study from Cisco, with input from from 2,600 privacy and security professionals across 12 countries, shows an increased focus on investing in AI governance processes, an overwhelming 99 percent of respondents anticipate reallocating resources from privacy budgets to AI initiatives in the future.

"Privacy and proper data governance are foundational to Responsible AI," says Dev Stahlkopf, Cisco's chief legal officer. "For organizations working toward AI readiness, privacy investments establish essential groundwork, helping to accelerate effective AI governance."

Despite the increased operational costs of data localization, 90 percent of organizations see local storage as being inherently safer, while 91 percent (up five percent year-on-year) trust global providers for better data protection. These points reflect, today's complex privacy landscape, while global providers are valued for their capabilities local storage is perceived as safer.

"The drive for data localization reflects rising interest in data sovereignty," says Harvey Jang, Cisco's chief privacy officer. "Yet, a thriving, global digital economy relies on trusted cross-border data flows. Interoperable frameworks such as the Global Cross-Border Privacy Rules Forum will play a vital role in enabling growth while effectively addressing crucial privacy and security concerns."

Privacy legislation remains a keystone of customer trust too, with 86 percent of respondents noting a positive impact on their organizations, up from 80 percent last year. Despite the costs associated with compliance, a resounding 96 percent of organizations report that the returns significantly outweigh the investments.

You can read more and get the full report on the Cisco blog and there's an infographic summary of the findings below.

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