Artificial intelligence

You must have heard about AI or Artificial Intelligence and how it can replace jobs – this can be good, and this can be bad. Good because routine robotic jobs can now be done by tech or by machines and maybe free people from rote and a mundane existence. After all, man has better use than to do something a robot can do.

But experts say AI can only function with data. Data, they say, is the new gold. And where does data come from? Surprise! It comes from you and me. Every time we buy something, say something online, we give data to the Universe, or the Metaverse as it is now called. And now, tech has become so advanced, you do not even have to text it or browse on your phone for them to get data. You just need to say it and for some strange reason (known only to techies), you can be heard by your phone, too. Scary? It is. But there are ways out of being invaded or intruded, or your privacy compromised.

You must have heard of people not wanting to do Facebook or Instagram but have phones anyway? They call about everything and refuse to text? The tech giants got you covered! Even what you speak is already counted as data. And it is not a coincidence that the net is serving you ads about travel to Singapore or South Africa because you talked about it last night. It is not a coincidence.

So is the solution to privacy to toss your mobile and live like a hermit? Is it to log out permanently from all social media? “That’s why I don’t do social,” some are quoted as saying. “I’m very private,” echoes another. More than just getting out of circulation, responsible companies have thought of choices for us. We can opt out, and still remain reachable or in touch with other people. It’s called Data Privacy. You can select what data you share and select what data must be removed from apps you have subscribed to. Thank God you can pick and choose.

The Philippines is copying almost everything the USA does and with great speed. This is why we now have laws on data privacy and you may have noticed many statements on websites, online sites and just about any site that you can sign up for. Read it and take a closer look. They tell you what they use your data for. They tell you what you are sharing and where that data goes.

We hope that more companies mind these laws as they can mean your sustainability as a company, especially for MSMEs, or your demise if you are not aware of the dangers as we tread into unfamiliar territory. Small business owners must read up and take things into our hands because we do not have the luxury of hiring tech experts for our compliance teams.

Where do we start?

Read up about data privacy laws and get familiar with how data must be managed. There are templates on the internet that can give you an idea of how to express your Data Privacy Statement.

Small companies also must be aware of cyber security (big word) and get experts to check your site and your vulnerability to hacking and being invaded not by viruses but by bad characters who do hacking as a business.

Back up your files and keep the hard drives in safe places away from your office or home.

Keep your printed records in remote warehouses in case of inspection in the future by authorities. Know how long you must keep records.

Secure your company information, records and data on the internet by enrolling and getting to know about Cloud storage, for example.

Bigger companies have the luxury of hiring experts on cyber security and they can create a team to do maintenance of their local area network (LAN) or system. They can build firewalls and enough security in step with the progressive ways of hackers, viruses and other malware.

But MSMEs need to do more. We need to get experts as consultants or pay a service to do that on a maintenance kind of contract similar to pest control services, except the pests are in the Metaverse.

In the US firms large and small now make it a “must do” to hire outsourced AI specialists – and these people are highly trained in AI ethics and doing AI for the good it was developed for. Not AI for hacking, but AI for doing good for the world. Yes, there is ethics and this is the new GMRC or Good Manners and Right Conduct for business and even for personal use.

As many of us work from home and are entrepreneurs, we personally are virtual targets of the bad elements in tech. Those who use our data to sell to online sites are everywhere. Did you ever wonder why you get random texts about job openings? Your data has been sold to sellers and recruiters.

This is just the first wave of reminders about AI and its benefits as well as its perils. But we have a choice and we must exercise that choice to share what we want and not share some information about ourselves or our companies.

Read about AI and cyber security. It’s not just for companies. It’s for people like you and me who use the phone everyday, every minute. And speak softly, even in private. Consider the phone as yet another guest in your home. Be conscious about Artificial Intelligence.

It’s artificial but it knows you.