Samsung bans use of AI like ChatGPT for staff after misuse of chatbot

Samsung is restricting the use of so-called generative artificial intelligence tools such as ChatGPT for employees after the company discovered such services were being misused.

The South Korean technology giant confirmed to CNBC Tuesday that it is temporarily restricting the use of generative AI through the company’s personal computers.

Employees of one of Samsung’s biggest divisions were informed of the move in a memo at the end of April after there had been cases of misuse of the technology.

Bloomberg reported on Tuesday that some staff had uploaded sensitive code to ChatGPT.

ChatGPT is a viral AI chatbot that is trained on huge amounts of data and is able to generate response to user queries. It is a form of so-called generative AI.

Samsung does not have its own generative AI product yet. ChatGPT is developed by U.S. firm OpenAI which is backed by Microsoft while other generative AI products include Google’s Bard. Inputting sensitive company data into these foreign-owned services could be a concern to companies worried about leaks of crucial information.

Samsung told employees to take precautions when using ChatGPT and other products outside of work and advised workers not to enter any personal or company related information into the services.

In a Samsung company-wide survey conducted last month, 65% of those who responded said there was concern about security risks when using generative AI services.

Samsung is not the only company restricting use of the technology. U.S. investment bank JPMorgan reportedly restricted use of ChatGPT among staff earlier this year. And Amazon this year reportedly warned employees not to upload confidential information, including code, to ChatGPT.

Companies are assessing ways in which generative AI capabilities could be used within their business. ChatGPT can help engineers to generate computer code for example, to speed up their tasks. Software developers at Goldman Sachs have been using generative AI to help generate code.

Despite the latest restrictions, Samsung is looking for ways in which generative AI could be used safely to enhance employee productivity and efficiency.