The use of AI (artificial intelligence) has spread throughout the working world since it its launch a few years ago. During the rush of excitement about the possibilities of the software, consistent adoption of these technologies have been incentivized by all industries due to its ability to optimize redundant, labor-intensive tasks. However, in this period, many businesses have forgotten their policies for onboarding new technologies and left security gaps open as a result.
With IT expertise built from years of working with partner clients wanting to safely and productively bring AI into their businesses, we at The Network Doctor have identified 5 frequent issues that can cause serious problems for Santa Clarita manufacturers who just want to improve their services.
- Relying on Free, Unsecured Products:
AI can be expensive, simple as that. Even before getting into AI agents, the use of chat programs like Gemini, ChatGPT, or Claude have paid plans that can add up when licenses for all of your employees come in at the same time.
Nobody wants a new monthly expense to budget, but the alternative is a major problem. These tools train their data sets on the input of free plans, leaving all your communications open to being put into data sets. For example, in ChatGPT, look for the "workspace data isn't used to train models" disclaimer that comes with paid plans to make sure you're using a paid, more secure account. - Not Having a Uniform Product Plan (Shadow IT):
Shadow IT refers to unapproved software that employees use without the knowledge or approval of their companies. Think of an employee using a totally different password manager than the one your company provides/pays for. While this other password manager may be totally secure and compliant, there's no way for you to know because it hasn't been vetted the way an approved tool has been.
Clearly explaining to employees that they need to only use the AI tools vetted and approved by a manufacturer is the best way to prevent this issue. By keeping all employees on the same page with what products to use, manufacturers can maintain control over security, compliance, and connection between approved tools. - Putting Proprietary Information Into AI Chats:
Even if you're using secure, paid, approved AI tools, that doesn't mean it's a good idea to put private information into them. You're still expected to maintain compliance with HIPAA, PCI, and other compliance frameworks designed to protect identifiable information of customers and vendors.
If you're using AI tools to organize sensitive data, we recommend building out the framework of the organization with AI, but leaving protected information out of the equation. As we've seen with recent cases of PII usage with AI being a legal issue, it's the smartest way to prevent a serious compliance violation down the line. - Not Fact-Checking AI Output:
AI tools are at their best when they're helping your employees tackle large volumes of work in a fraction of the time that they used to. However, this excitement at speed can lead some business owners to skip over the quality analysis phase of tasks. Remember, efficiency can only be achieved when speed and quality go hand-in-hand.
Generative AI tools are probability algorithms at the end of the day, and when you're using them to build spreadsheets or process documents or other integral files, you have to check the work to make sure it's accurate. Blindly copy and pasting results from AI can leave a business open to being liable for incorrect data or building structure around incomplete or inaccurate information. - No Regular Cleaning of Employee Access:
If you're using AI in multiple aspects of your business, depending on how it's configured, that could leave AI agents with a lot of access to valuable data. With proper cybersecurity hygiene (as mentioned above), this isn't a problem in and of itself, but like with any piece of software, outdated or old access policies leave this data unsecured.
Malicious or innocent, burned employee or simple mistake, when employee devices have access to these powerful tools after they should have had their access removed, that's a problem. We recommend regularly auditing which employees and devices have access to not just your AI tools but all pieces of software so dangerous vulnerabilities can be closed up.
Additionally, when offboarding employees, be sure to remove all access to accounts and tools as necessary so all software-based loose ends can be tied.
Managing these AI pitfalls is crucial, but we know it can be a lot to juggle in the moment. Especially with the excitement around the technology, having a dedicated IT provider whose job it is to keep you safe from tech and security failure is paramount to your success.
Schedule a FREE 15-Minute Discovery Call with The Network Doctor today to get started on implementing AI to your manufacturing business safely, efficiently, and effectively.
