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Over three-quarters of companies at risk of an AI compliance breach
Despite growing enthusiasm for AI , a new survey has revealed more than three-quarters ( 78 %) of companies in the UK are failing to implement measures to protect against AI-related breaches , as over 60 % are forging ahead with adopting more AI in their companies .
The research , conducted by leading compliance software and e-learning firm , VinciWorks , finds compliance concerns remain a hurdle despite AI ’ s growing appeal . With more companies using or planning to adopt AI in the near future , the potential for a serious compliance breach has become much more significant and highlights the need for robust compliance frameworks .
The new Labour government ’ s surprising decision to drop a promised AI bill from the King ’ s Speech has left companies struggling to get to grips with the complex compliance requirements on AI , particularly those coming from the EU .
A vast majority of companies ( over 61 %) believe their business will be affected by the EU ’ s landmark AI Act , and just 22 % think it won ’ t . Despite Brexit , the EU ’ s AI regulation , which came into effect in August , will impact UK companies using AI and could see fines imposed that are nearly double that of the General Data Protection Regulation ( GDPR ).
“ AI offers significant potential for businesses , but serious risks for companies who don ’ t take AI compliance seriously ,” said Nick Henderson-Mayo , Director of Learning and Content at VinciWorks . “ It ’ s not only the AI Act companies have to be aware of , but misusing AI can result in GDPR penalties too , along with a myriad of other breaches , from equality to employment law . Businesses must approach AI with a dual focus : innovation and responsibility .”
Over a third of cyberattacks result in job losses
Last year , Databarracks ’ Data Health Check ( DHC ) found that cyberattacks are organisations ’ leading cause of downtime and data loss . In 2024 , that is still the case .
Data lost to cyberincidents varies greatly by company size , with larger businesses five times more likely to be impacted .
Chris Butler , Resilience Director at Databarracks , said : “ It should come as little surprise that cyber remains organisations ’ leading cause of downtime and data loss . The real news is that cyber is now having a significant impact on employees .
“ Over a third of those surveyed in the DHC report job losses as a result of cyberattacks . These could be IT or security staff being dismissed in direct response to the breach , or wider layoffs from business disruption .
In the past 12 months , over half of organisations were impacted by cyberthreats . Larger companies in particular were much more likely to come under attack .
The severity of these incidents is directly contributing to job losses . Of 500 UK IT , resilience and cybersecurity professionals surveyed , 37 % reported that cyberattacks resulted in dismissals .
“ Cyberattacks on businesses are often seen as victimless crimes because losses are covered by insurance . These results show that attacks have a personal impact .
“ Today , IT teams are faced with significantly more risk and threats to the continuity of their organisations , which can have a profound impact on their wellbeing . But the same can be said for employees across a business .”
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