Artificial intelligence may be creating significant opportunities for businesses, but as adoption accelerates, understanding the risks, responsibilities and security implications is becoming just as important as understanding its potential.
That was at the heart of the conversation at our latest C2S Cyber & Tech Focus, where we were delighted to welcome Todd Gifford, Managing Director of Optimising IT, to lead a thought-provoking session on The Dark Side of AI.
AI continues to dominate conversations across almost every sector. Businesses are exploring how it can improve productivity, automate processes, support decision-making and create entirely new ways of working.
But with the pace of change comes an equally important question: are businesses moving quickly enough to understand the risks that accompany the opportunities?
Todd’s session encouraged business leaders to look beyond the excitement surrounding AI and consider how it is actually being introduced, managed and governed within their organisations.
Embracing AI with your eyes open
The message throughout the session was not that businesses should be afraid of AI or hold back from innovation.
Quite the opposite.
AI has enormous potential, but organisations need to understand what they are using, where their data is going, how reliable the outputs are and what safeguards need to be in place.
Todd explored the current position around AI regulation, the changes businesses need to be aware of and the responsibilities organisations should consider as the regulatory environment continues to develop.
The discussion also looked at where businesses need to establish clear boundaries around AI use and why some applications may simply present too great a risk.
For leaders, this raises important questions not only for IT teams but across the whole organisation.
Who is currently using AI within the business? What platforms are employees accessing? What information is being entered into those systems? How are AI-generated outputs being checked? And does the organisation have appropriate policies and governance in place?
These are increasingly becoming business leadership questions rather than simply technology questions.
Understanding the vulnerabilities
Todd also explored some of the vulnerabilities associated with AI, including hallucinations, prompt poisoning and emerging security threats.
AI hallucinations — where an AI system can generate information that appears credible but is inaccurate or fabricated — demonstrate why human judgement and verification remain so important.
The session also highlighted prompt poisoning and other emerging methods that can potentially manipulate AI systems or influence their outputs.
As businesses increasingly embed AI into everyday processes, understanding these vulnerabilities becomes critical.
The potential consequences can extend far beyond an incorrect response from an AI tool. Depending on how AI is being used, organisations need to consider areas including data security, confidentiality, decision-making, reputation and wider cyber risk.
AI isn’t just an IT conversation
One of the most important themes to come from the session was the need for businesses to make AI a wider organisational conversation.
Technology may enable AI adoption, but its impact reaches into leadership, HR, operations, finance, marketing, customer service and almost every other business function.
Employees are already experimenting with AI tools, often because they can see immediate opportunities to work more efficiently.
The challenge for organisations is therefore not simply whether to allow AI, but how to create an environment where people can use it productively while understanding the boundaries and risks.
That requires education, clear policies and open conversations across the organisation.
It also requires leaders to stay informed.
Bringing expertise into the C2S community
Our C2S Cyber & Tech Focus events are designed to help make those conversations accessible to the wider business community.
Cybersecurity, AI and technology are developing at extraordinary speed. For many business leaders, finding the time to understand what is changing — and more importantly what those changes mean for their own organisation — can be challenging.
Bringing specialists and business leaders together provides an opportunity to cut through some of the noise and focus on practical issues businesses need to be considering now.
Angela Edwards, Co-Founder and Director of C2S, said:
“There is understandably huge excitement around AI and we are only beginning to see the opportunities it could create for businesses. But adoption also has to come with awareness and responsibility.
“What I particularly took from Todd’s session is that this isn’t about being frightened of AI or slowing down innovation. It’s about understanding where the risks sit so that businesses can embrace the opportunities safely, responsibly and with their eyes open.
“Technology is moving incredibly quickly and that is why these conversations are so important. We want to give business leaders access to people who can share their expertise, challenge thinking and help organisations better understand what these developments actually mean for them.”
A huge thank you to Todd Gifford and the Optimising IT team for sharing their knowledge and expertise, and to everyone who joined us and contributed to another excellent discussion.
The session reinforced something that will become increasingly important as AI continues to evolve: the businesses that benefit most from AI will need to understand not only what the technology can do, but how to use it securely, responsibly and effectively.
Our C2S Cyber & Tech Focus will continue to bring our community together with specialists from across cyber, AI and technology to explore the developments that are shaping the future of business.
