Artificial intelligence (AI) is one of the most debated technological innovations of recent years, but many companies are increasingly using it. However, it is important to understand why this could bring problems that only effective business IT support can resolve.
Many companies are increasingly using AI, seeking greater efficiencies and more accuracy in decision-making and analysis.
However, as surveys have shown, the benefits are not universal, as AI is far from flawless. One survey by the BBC last year found that half the answers to queries posed to AI chatbots contained inaccuracies.
The BBC Science Focus article on this issue highlighted a number of other failings of AI, both impacting people personally and in business. The latter included:
- Attempting to manipulate simulated markets
- Making errors such as deleting data and then lying to cover this up
- Offering hazardous personal advice in areas such as dating and romance
How Risky Is AI For Business IT Functions?
This highlights just how risky AI can be. This might not quite be the horror of AI gone rogue as depicted in the Terminator films or even warned about by companies such as Anthropic, but it does highlight that these are not foolproof systems.
Part of the solution may lie in allowing more human oversight, but it also lies in having the right IT support.
This will involve building safety protocols into your system to limit what can go wrong. For example, a facility to back up data could mean you always have a copy even if the AI tries to delete it.
Anthropic warned that AI could sometimes outsmart the systems used to control them by writing flaws into the code designed to do this job.
This may suggest that using less AI in the first place is part of the solution. Your IT support may need to include the production of code without the input of AI, including systems that keep AI in check.
How AI develops over the next few years will be extremely important for businesses, the wider economy and society. Having the right IT support can help ensure that you are less exposed whenever shortcomings arise.
