Getting to Know your Cyber Security before AI

National newscaster Charity Digital explore the impact of Artificial Intelligence on cyber security and what this means for charities in 2024.

More and more, the advancements in Artificial Intelligence (AI) have been in the news and has become one of the main themes for national debate. And the use of AI is now part of regular discussion within the Charity Sector.

Maybe you are a Trustee already using AI, a charity that’s planning to make use of it, or a group that doesn’t yet know how it might be useful, it pays to be aware of the opportunities and risks involved.

Brief Explanation of Artificial Intelligence and How Charities are Involved
Sometimes described as a machine’s ability to perform the rational thought processes and functions that we usually relate with human minds, AI is not a new concept regardless of what the headlines say.

A type of AI called Machine learning has been used in the healthcare industry since the 1970s, and while a lot of commentary focuses on the use of things like ChatGPT tool, many of the services we might not think of as AI are already using it. For example:
The Google search engine uses AI in different ways to improve a web browsing experience, making sure that the best results are selected for its users.

Other uses of AI include the algorithms behind streaming services, traffic prediction data in navigation apps and email spam filters. They are also in the voice assistants in our homes and pockets.

AI is expected to bring about major changes to all sectors of the economy, and this includes charities as The 2023 Charity Digital Skills report suggests charities are already making use of AI for certain tasks with more planning to do so later on.

Starting Out with AI
A charity should think about how they want to use AI, but also consider the benefits and difficulties they might encounter, and how to manage them. Also, would its use tie-in with the objectives and activities of the charity itself?

Maybe a charity wants to use the insights generated by an AI tool to generate content; what skills and knowledge would be needed to make use of that and do their staff or volunteers have that knowledge to succeed in this?

Being aware of the Risks
AI technology is regularly developing and advancing with new tools and applications to help with our work and our lives. So too do new cyber threats which pose new challenges for charities to work through.

Charities are already facing sophisticated cyber security risks, and, with the rise of AI, the risk of cyber-attacks could rise over the next few years.

Therefore, it will benefit a charity if they have a strong awareness of the cyber security they have in place before introducing AI technology to their daily and long-term work.

When it comes to cyber threats, having complete knowledge and prior understanding of any cyber risks is the greatest way to avoid them, allowing charities to put plans in place if they experience a breach in their operations.

With incite from cyber security experts Avast, newscaster Charity Digital discuss this and more in their feature about the impact of AI on cyber security and what this means for charities.

Through the interview in their feature, they show how Avast and the Charity Digital Exchange can help charities look after their cyber security.

To read the feature, visit the Charity Digital website.

Source: mva.org.uk