Samsung, one of South Korea’s biggest technology giants, has just issued a company-wide ban on the use of generative AI such as ChatGPT and Google Bard. This decision comes in the wake of an incident involving sensitive code that was inadvertently shared by some of Samsung’s engineers using the respective applications.
These applications are notorious for their ability to generate original text that is surprisingly accurate. This is what triggered the concern among higher-ups at Samsung, who were worried that the confidential code and meeting details would be made accessible to other users of the chatbot application. The banning of the technology was first announced in a memo sent out to Samsung’s staff. According to the statement, the prohibition holds true for company-owned devices, tablets, and phones, as well as on internal servers.
The development is not too surprising, especially considering the current public sentiment toward AI. The increasing sophistication of these technologies has become a cause for alarm for many, with American scientist Dr. Geoffrey Hinton, the so-called ‘Godfather of AI’, recently leaving Google over similar concerns.
It is unclear whether this move by Samsung will start a trend in the industry, but it certainly serves as an assurance that the company is paying attention to the serious implications of advanced AI applications like ChatGPT and Google Bard. The impact that AI is having on our lives is becoming increasingly apparent and companies, like Samsung, are taking the necessary steps to secure sensitive information and minimize potential risks.
