Samsung is banning its employees from using AI services like ChatGPT

Samsung is reportedly banning its employees from using popular generative AI tools like ChatGPT, Google Bard, and Bing on company devices over concerns that staff will leak sensitive data.

The move follows instances of “misuse” of the technology, according to an internal memo by the company, cited by Bloomberg.

Without elaborating what the instances of misuse were, Samsung said it is working to find ways to use generative AI services in a “security safe environment for employees so that work efficiency and convenience can be enhanced, adding that "until these measures are prepared, it is banning the use of generative AI services for company-owned computers temporarily.”

The memo from the smartphone and chip manufacturer also advised staff to refrain from uploading work-related information to such platforms when logging in on personal computers outside company premises.

But Samsung is not the only company that has taken action. Major corporations such as Goldman Sachs have banned or restricted employees’ use of ChatGPT-like platforms in recent months as interest in artificial intelligence chatbots continue to soar since it debuted in November.

ChatGPT has also witnessed restrictions on a national scale with Italy's data regulators banning the use of the AI chatbot due to data privacy concerns. Although the ban has since been lifted, several other countries are also reviewing their AI regulation rules to control the development of AI software.