There is significant disconnect between consumer expectations and organizations’ approaches around privacy, especially regarding the use of AI.
This according to Cisco’s 2023 Data Privacy Benchmark Study which encompassed insights from 3100 security professionals familiar with the data privacy program at their organizations and their responses to consumer attitudes to privacy from the earlier Cisco 2022 Consumer Privacy Survey.
The disconnect between consumers and organizations was most profound regarding the impact of AI technologies, like ChatGPT, on privacy.
In 2022’s Consumer Privacy Survey, 60% of consumers expressed concern about how organizations apply and use AI today, and 65% have already lost trust in organizations over their AI practices.
This compares to 96% of security professionals in the 2023 Data Privacy Benchmark survey stating that their organizations already have processes in place to meet the responsible and ethical standards of privacy in AI that consumers expect.
Speaking to Infosecurity, Robert Waitman, privacy director and head of privacy research program at Cisco said: “AI algorithms and automated decision-making can be particularly challenging for people to understand. While most consumers are supportive of AI generally, 60% have already lost trust in organizations due to AI application and use in their solutions and services. As a result, organizations should be extra careful in applying AI to automate and make consequential decisions that affect people directly, such as when applying for a loan or a job interview.”
Unresolved Issues Around AI and Privacy
Speaking during a recent episode of the Infosecurity Magazine podcast, Valerie Lyons, COO and senior consultant at BH Consulting, discussed the huge implications of the growth of AI on privacy.
One of these is the role of AI in creating inferential data – using a dataset to draw conclusions about populations.
“The problem with inferential data is that I don’t know as a consumer that the organization has it. I gave you my name, my address and my age, and the organization infers something from it and that inference may be sensitive data,” explained Lyons.
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