AI and Privacy: The privacy concerns surrounding AI, its potential impact on personal data

As Artificial Intelligence (AI) continues to advance, it has brought about a myriad of concerns regarding personal data privacy. AI systems often rely on large amounts of personal data to learn and make predictions, which raises concerns about the collection, processing, and storage of such data. Looking forward here are the insights from the tech experts.

“Artificial intelligence (AI) technology is becoming increasingly prevalent, from virtual assistants like Siri and Alexa to autonomous vehicles and facial recognition systems. However, using AI technology raises privacy concerns, mainly concerning personal data," Bhaskar Ganguli, Director, Marketing and Sales, Mass Software Solutions said.

AI systems often rely on vast data to train their algorithms and improve performance. This data can include personal information such as names, addresses, financial information, and sensitive information such as medical records and social security numbers. The collection and processing of this data can raise concerns about how it is being used and who has access to it.

The main privacy concerns surrounding AI is the potential for data breaches and unauthorized access to personal information. With so much data being collected and processed, there is a risk that it could fall into the wrong hands, either through hacking or other security breaches.

"As Artificial Intelligence evolves, it further increases the involvement of personal information, thus proliferating the cases of data breaches. Generative AI can be misused to create fake profiles or manipulate images. Like all other AI technologies, it also relies on data. Cybercrimes affect the security of 80% of businesses across the world, and we understand that personal data in the wrong hands can have monstrous outcomes. We need to take active measures to safeguard the privacy of our customers' information with authentication using data platforms," Harsha Solanki, MD, India, Bangladesh, Nepal, and Sri Lanka, Infobip.

“Certainly, AI has the potential to revolutionize our lives, but it also raises serious concerns about privacy. As AI becomes more prevalent, it has the potential to collect and analyze vast amounts of personal data, which can be used for various purposes, both positive and negative," Vipin Vindal, CEO, Quarks Technosoft said.

Another concern is the use of AI for surveillance and monitoring purposes. Facial recognition technology, for example, has been used by law enforcement agencies to identify suspects and track individuals in public spaces. This raises questions about the right to privacy and the potential to abuse these technologies.

When AI collects personal data, it is essential to ensure that the collection, use, and processing of such data is done in compliance with the GDPR. AI algorithms should be designed to minimize the collection and processing of personal data and ensure that the data is kept secure and confidential.

"AI technologies are becoming more advanced, allowing them to collect and analyze significant amounts of data about individuals, including their behaviors, preferences, and even their thoughts and emotions. This information can be used to make predictions about individuals, to target them with advertising or other marketing messages, or even to make decisions about their access to services or opportunities," Vindal said.

With the ability to analyze vast amounts of data, AI can be utilized to monitor individuals in ways that were previously impossible, including tracking their movements, monitoring their social media activity, and even analyzing their facial expressions and other biometric data.

There is also a concern that AI systems may perpetuate existing biases and discrimination. If the data used to train an AI system contains preference biases, the system may learn and perpetuate those biases. This can have serious consequences, particularly in areas such as employment, where AI algorithms may be used to make hiring decisions.

AI technologies must be developed and deployed responsibly to address these concerns. This includes ensuring that data is collected and processed transparently and securely and that individuals have control over it. It also means ensuring that AI systems are designed and tested to identify and mitigate biases and are subject to ongoing monitoring and oversight.

"To address these concerns, it is critical to ensure that AI is developed and deployed responsibly. This involves ensuring that personal data is collected and used transparently and ethically, with clear guidelines around how it can be used and shared. It also means incorporating safeguards to prevent the misuse of AI technologies, such as developing mechanisms for individuals to control how their data is collected and used," Vindal said.

"Ultimately, it is vital to promote the responsible development and deployment of AI to ensure that its potential benefits are realized while minimizing the risks to individual privacy and civil liberties. Policymakers, industry leaders, and civil society must collaborate to develop policies and practices that support the responsible use of AI technologies,” Scott Horn, CMO, EnterpriseDB said.