{"id":60887,"date":"2023-09-21T15:50:33","date_gmt":"2023-09-21T05:50:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.salesforce.com\/?p=60887"},"modified":"2024-05-23T11:23:29","modified_gmt":"2024-05-23T01:23:29","slug":"data-protection-trust-and-the-rise-of-ai-technologies","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.salesforce.com\/au\/blog\/data-protection-trust-and-the-rise-of-ai-technologies\/","title":{"rendered":"Data Protection, Trust, and the Rise of AI Technologies"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Our recent Leadership Circle Dinner Series featured leaders from various industries across Australia and New Zealand. During the dinner, leaders discussed their experiences tackling the complex challenges between AI, data and security. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

We acknowledged that while AI presents significant cybersecurity threats, the key to stepping up to these challenges is to create a powerful framework of trust throughout every aspect of your organisation, so you can use AI to supercharge productivity and innovation and deliver the service your customers crave. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAs we prepare for the future, there will be major consequences of not considering safety. While we need the skills to work with new technology, we also need to be able to deal with the associated risks head-on,\u201d said one information and security leader at a major Australian retail organisation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cOne of the most important skills to deal with that is creating a culture of trust, not only within our organisations, but with our customers as well.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The rise of generative AI solutions amplifies the need for trust<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Generative AI is a game changer across sales<\/a>, marketing<\/a> and service<\/a>. Combined with CRM<\/a>, it can boost efficiency and improve both customer and employee experiences. But these transformational benefits amplify an already urgent focus on trust \u2014 between customers and organisations and – employees and employers. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The State of the Connected Customer report<\/a> found 88% of customers believe trust becomes a priority in times of change, and 74% say communicating honestly and transparently is more critical now than before the pandemic. This is not to say customers don\u2019t want to share their data in exchange for a more personalised experience \u2014 in fact, most are open to it \u2014  just that they\u2019ll only share on the condition its use is clearly explained. And currently, 64% of consumers say<\/a> most companies aren\u2019t transparent about how they use personal information. This is even more significant regarding AI, with 72% of customers concerned about its ethical use.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Most generative AI bots, like ChatGPT, don\u2019t guarantee data privacy<\/a>. As exciting as the buzz around ChatGPT has been, generative AI remains a force to admire and be wary of for many customers. 84% of customers say<\/a> AI can be a force for good or bad, depending on its use. While customers are increasingly embracing generative AI-powered tools like chatbots and self-service portals<\/a> for the speedy resolution of straightforward queries, their awareness of the potential for AI misuse is also growing. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The pressure on businesses is to address customer demand for more personalised<\/a>, omni-channel experiences. This depends on access to their data, the need to use that data appropriately, be transparent about its use, and keep it secure while still leveraging the benefits of generative AI tools. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Need help with your generative AI strategy? <\/h2>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t

Whether you\u2019re just starting out with AI or already innovating, this guide is your roadmap to delivering a trusted program blending data, AI and CRM. The goal? Helping your teams focus on high-value tasks and build stronger customer relationships.\u00a0<\/p>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t

\n\t\t\t\t\tGet the guide<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t
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How AI contributes to data protection challenges<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The rise of virtual spaces has provided new opportunities for cyber attacks, data leaks and company breaches. According to the Australian Cyber Security Centre, Australian businesses suffered<\/a> more than $33 billion in total losses from cybercrime in 2021. While AI is not the sole cause of those losses, its increasing sophistication could fuel a rise in cybercrime. AI, for instance, is already being used in online voice scams<\/a>, and its ability to process large datasets gives it the power to reveal passwords and find weak points in malware detection software.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Another problematic- area to regulate when it comes to AI and data privacy is the issue of data profiling. Bias in AI applications can have genuine consequences for, say, people applying for jobs or insurance. It\u2019s no surprise that 62%<\/a> of customers report being concerned about bias in AI. Those consequences can also impact your business if they alienate customers and erode trust, undermining your values as an organisation. In some cases, they could even result in legal ramifications.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What does trust look like?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

That their data could be compromised is a real fear for many customers \u2014 unconsciously by the businesses that use it to provide personalised customer experiences or by malign outside forces wanting to use it for nefarious purposes. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Addressing that fear requires a practical framework to safeguard against such breaches, or at least to reduce impact when they happen, and a culture of trust in which transparency and accountability rule.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“Trust is built into our brand promise,\u201d shared a leader at an Australian energy company. \u201cTrust is an organisation-wide issue. It can\u2019t just live with an IT department \u2014 trust must be owned and discussed at the board level, reflected in our values and how we work together as a company.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Building a culture of trust is everyone\u2019s job<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

This means that security is not just the responsibility of your IT department but of the entire organisation, including leadership and key people at all levels. It\u2019s why, for example, trust leads our five core values<\/a> here at Salesforce.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cSalesforce is truly a values-driven company and we place trust at the very top of those values,\u201d says Srini Tallapragada, President and Chief Engineering Officer at Salesforce. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThose values extend beyond our company culture into how we handle our customer\u2019s data and how we help them achieve success.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Trust must be baked into every aspect of a business, including product design, compliance, security<\/a>, and the employee experience<\/a>. This level of trust and security will involve technologies like multi-factor authentication<\/a> and malware protection to protect data<\/a>. Still, it must also involve critical human supervision to avoid bias in algorithms and train employees to help them identify potential scams, anomalies and vulnerabilities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

After all, says Tallapragada, trust is hard to gain and easy to lose. Companies must stay transparent with their customers and continually work to rebuild trust if something happens to undermine it. <\/p>\n\n\n\n