Employers urged to draw line on AI use

Cheng Wong

Employers must establish a clear scope of permissible use for generative artificial intelligence to reduce the risk of data leakage, says Privacy Commissioner for Personal Data Ada Chung Lai-ling.

The Commissioner's Office published a Checklist on Guidelines for the Use of Generative AI by Employees on March 31, assisting organizations in establishing internal policies for using Gen AI.

Chung noted that the three-page document systematically outlines five key elements: scope of use; protection of personal data privacy; lawful and ethical use and prevention of bias; data security; and consequences of violations.

Chung said on the radio yesterday that as Gen AI becomes more prevalent, many employees are using it without their employers' knowledge.

She expressed hope that the guidelines help businesses create internal policies that enable employees to use AI more safely, maximizing its potential.

The privacy watchdog has established an AI safety hotline for businesses. This June, it will hold an AI safety seminar together with the Hong Kong Productivity Council.

Chung said the primary concern is the risk to personal data privacy, particularly the misuse of data, such as employees secretly using collected customer data to train AI.

Another issue is that employees may input sensitive information that is not permitted by the company.

Lastly, there is the problem of data leakage, as training AI typically requires large amounts of data, and any incidents could have serious consequences.

Chung said the office has the authority to intervene if Gen AI tools cause data breaches.