After Apple And Samsung, Google Reportedly Bans Internal Use Of AI Chatbots — Including Its Own Bard

In a move to prioritize security and protect sensitive information, Alphabet Inc. GOOG GOOGL, has followed in the footsteps of Apple Inc. AAPL and Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd SSNLF as it reportedly bans the internal use of AI chatbots, including its own creation, Bard.

What Happened: Google has prohibited the internal use of AI chatbots, joining the ranks of Apple and Samsung. The move aims to prioritize security and protect confidential data from potential leaks.  

Google’s Bard also falls under this internal ban, reported Reuters, citing people familiar with the matter. 

Google did not immediately respond to Benzinga‘s request for comment.

See Also: Google Reportedly Goes Into ‘Panic’ As Samsung Considers Microsoft’s Bing AI For Default Search Engine

The company has also reportedly urged its engineers to refrain from direct use of computer code generated by chatbots. Google acknowledged that Bard can provide code suggestions that may not be desired, but stressed its usefulness for programmers. 

Google’s decision to prohibit employees from entering confidential materials into AI chatbots stems from the fact that human-sounding chatbots like Bard and OpenAI's chatGPT utilize generative AI to engage in conversations and answer prompts. 

While human reviewers may access these chat logs, research has shown that AI can replicate the absorbed data during training, potentially posing a risk of unauthorized information disclosure, the report noted. 

Why It's Important: This move by Google reflects a broader industry trend of adopting security measures concerning AI chatbots. Other major companies, including Samsung, Amazon.com, Inc. AMZN and Deutsche Bank DB, have already implemented guidelines to regulate the use of these chatbot programs. 

Although Apple hasn't provided any official statement it is believed to have similar internal bans in place.

In March this year, Italy banned the use of ChatGPT due to privacy concerns, becoming the first Western country to do so, although it has since revoked this decision recently.

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