August 25, 2025
Artificial intelligence (AI) is creating a wave of excitement—and for good reason. Innovative tools like ChatGPT, Google Gemini, and Microsoft Copilot are revolutionizing how businesses operate. Companies are leveraging AI to generate content, handle customer inquiries, draft emails, summarize meetings, and even assist with coding and data management.
While AI can dramatically enhance productivity and save valuable time, it also carries risks if not used responsibly—especially concerning your organization's data security.
Even small businesses face significant vulnerabilities.
Understanding the Core Issue
The technology itself isn’t the problem—it’s how it’s applied. When employees input sensitive information into public AI platforms, that data could be stored, analyzed, or used to train future AI models. This can unintentionally expose confidential or regulated information.
For example, in 2023, Samsung engineers accidentally leaked internal source code through ChatGPT, prompting the company to ban public AI tool usage entirely, as reported by Tom's Hardware.
Imagine this happening at your workplace: an employee pastes client financial or medical data into ChatGPT for assistance, unaware of the risks. In moments, sensitive information could be compromised.
Emerging Danger: Prompt Injection Attacks
Beyond accidental leaks, cybercriminals are exploiting a sophisticated method called prompt injection. They embed harmful commands within emails, transcripts, PDFs, or even YouTube captions. When AI tools process this content, they can be manipulated into revealing sensitive data or performing unauthorized actions.
In essence, the AI unknowingly becomes an accomplice to the attacker.
Why Small Businesses Are Particularly at Risk
Many small businesses lack oversight on AI tool usage. Employees often adopt these tools independently, with good intentions but without proper guidance. They may mistakenly treat AI like an advanced search engine, unaware that their inputs could be permanently stored or accessed by others.
Few organizations have established policies or training programs to ensure safe AI practices.
Take Control: Practical Steps to Protect Your Business
You don’t have to ban AI from your operations, but you must manage its use carefully.
Start with these four essential actions:
1. Develop a clear AI usage policy.
Specify approved tools, restrict sharing of sensitive data, and designate points of contact for questions.
2. Train your team.
Educate employees about the risks of public AI tools and the dangers of prompt injection attacks.
3. Choose secure AI platforms.
Encourage use of enterprise-grade solutions like Microsoft Copilot that prioritize data privacy and compliance.
4. Monitor AI activity.
Keep track of which AI tools are in use and consider restricting access to public platforms on company devices.
Final Thoughts
AI is transforming business—and it’s here to stay. Organizations that adopt safe AI practices will unlock tremendous benefits, while ignoring risks could lead to costly breaches, compliance issues, or worse. A few careless keystrokes can put your entire business in jeopardy.
Let's discuss how to safeguard your company’s AI usage. We’ll help you craft a robust, secure AI policy and protect your data without hindering your team’s productivity. Call us at 816-233-3777 or click here to schedule your 15-Minute Discovery Call today.
