Data & device security in focus as AI makes inroads

PALO ALTO: An increasing number of companies across the world are integrating AI into their products and workplaces. At the recent HP Imagine 2024 event held here, much of the discussion revolved around security and utilisation of AI.

When asked about concerns regarding AI and its impact on companies, including creation of jobs, Alex Cho, president of personal systems at HP, told TOI: "With AI, there are concerns about security of data. That's the reason why security will be increasingly important... On the other hand, AI allows you to add more value to your work, and it creates capacity to do more types of work. I don't think the concern is about people not having more jobs. The bigger issue will be that companies that use AI will be more advantaged over those who don't."

On security, Cho said, "A lot of things need to be protected in the AI world. New types of threats are emerging and cyber criminals are leveraging AI to amplify social engineering attacks . HP is providing protection in its devices against these AI-powered attacks ... We are using AI to guard against AI attacks."

HP said its deepfake detector identifies AI-generated audio to warn users of potential fraud. It said OS can be reinstalled and devices can be recovered remotely using its new tech in the event of a cyberattack. HP is also integrating AI with its PCs and Flipbooks. The AI utilisation data is stored locally, as against on a cloud, keeping personal stuff private.

(The writer was in Palo Alto, US, at the invitation of HP)