The development of advanced language models such as ChatGPT (Generative Pre-trained Transform) has triggered discussions among companies regarding the potential risks associated with generative AI technology. While some believe that AI-powered products may improve efficiency and productivity, others worry about the impact on cybersecurity, search engine ranking, and profitability, says GlobalData.
Misa Singh, Business Fundamentals Analyst at GlobalData, comments: “Since ChatGPT’s release, cybersecurity professionals have been concerned about the risks related to cybercrimes/threats. Additionally, internet service provider companies believe that ChatGPT might impact their search engine ranking, leading to decreased traffic on their platform.”
An analysis of GlobalData’s Company Filings Analytics Database reveals that Generative AI and ChatGPT have triggered discussions over cybersecurity risks. Against this backdrop, British-American cybersecurity firm Darktrace believes that ChatGPT does not lower barriers to entry for threat actors, but it does believe that it may have contributed to the sophistication of phishing emails, allowing adversaries to craft more targeted, customized, and ultimately effective attacks.
Salesforce Inc discussed the evolution of AI would require the application of resources to develop, test and maintain products and services to ensure that AI is implemented to minimize unintended and harmful impacts. The company is experiencing uncertainty regarding new and emerging AI applications, particularly generative AI content creation. Such applications may necessitate additional investment in the development of proprietary datasets, machine learning models, and testing systems to ensure accuracy. These processes are complex and may be costly, potentially impacting the profit margin.
Microsoft and Google have already announced plans to integrate these new AI models into their products making other companies like Baidu Inc and Yandex NV worried. Baidu mentioned its success will depend on its capacity to keep up with the recent technological advancements and commercialization. Furthermore, substantial capital expenditures will be required for the research and development of technological changes and innovation services.
On the other hand, Yandex NV views this as a risk from two perspectives. The company says that it takes significant computational power and training knowledge to create new language models otherwise they might fall behind. Second, the redistribution of search queries to new AI-based product formats might necessitate reorganizing tools or altering the capacity to monetize ad-based products.
SimilarWeb Ltd believes the expansion of ChatGPT may obfuscate some of the user’s search activity reducing the amount of digital activity that is available for analysis using the current data collection methodology. NerdWallet, Inc. says that the introduction of AI-assisted technologies might impact the relevance of search engines declining their ranking and impacting the financial results if not able to adapt content strategy to a changing web search landscape.
Singh concludes: “As the technology continues to evolve and integrate into various products, companies must carefully consider the potential risks and take appropriate measures to mitigate them.”