Samsung bans staff from using generative AI after privacy gaffe

Samsung has banned the use of generative AI such as ChatGPT and Google's Bard after employees in one of the company's largest divisions reportedly uploaded internal source code to ChatGPT's servers. The information comes from a Bloomberg report.

Samsung announced the new policy with an internal memo to employees. It bans the use of generative AI systems on company-owned phones, computers, or tablets, as well as over the internal network. Samsung also asks employees not to divulge company information with ChatGPT or similar services through their personal devices.

As part of its reasoning, Samsung points to the fact that these AI platforms use external servers to store some if not all of their data and it would be difficult to protect or delete. Employees will be subject to disciplinary action and losing their job, should they fail to conform to Samsung's policy.

Samsung is the latest in a streak of high-profile companies to do this - JPMorgan Chase & Co, Bank of America, and Citigroup have either banned or restricted the use of ChatGPT over privacy concerns.

Bloomberg also notes that Samsung is working on its own AI tools for the translation and summarizing of documents, as well as for software development.

Of course, Samsung's ban only applies to its employees, when handling sensitive data. Anyone with a Samsung phone or other device is free to use generative AI. In fact, Bing AI is now officially on Samsung's Galaxy phones as part of the built-in SwiftKey keyboard.

Those who use the built-in SwiftKey keyboard will now get the OpenAI-based Bing AI in the keyboard's search tab.

We are rolling out the new Bing AI features to the Samsung users. Look for the new update (Android v9.10.11.10) in the next days. pic.twitter.com/NxUMf8Feyd

— Microsoft SwiftKey (@SwiftKey) April 29, 2023

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