Three in five respondents to a new ISACA survey on artificial intelligence are worried or very worried that bad actors will exploit generative AI, yet only 35 percent say AI risks are an immediate priority for their organization.
That lack of urgency translates to few organizational policies and sporadic training to help ensure responsible AI implementation. According to the ISACA pulse poll of 3,270 digital trust professionals, only 15% of organizations have AI policies, and 40% of organizations offer no AI training at all.
“The survey’s findings underscore the critical need for robust AI governance frameworks that do more than simply guide the technical deployment of AI,” writes Meghan Maneval in an ISACA Now blog post analyzing the survey data. “These frameworks must ensure that AI is used ethically, transparently and aligns with organizational objectives. Effective governance should encompass not only policy development and enforcement but also continuous monitoring and adaptation as AI technologies and their organizational impacts evolve.”
Respondents believe jobs will be significantly impacted by AI, with 45% saying many jobs will be eliminated over the next five years and 80% saying many jobs will be modified. Yet digital trust professionals—those who work in fields such as information security, governance, risk and privacy—are more optimistic about their own jobs. Seventy-eight percent say AI will have a neutral or positive impact on their careers.
To make that a reality, ongoing education will be needed – 85% say they will need to increase their AI skills and knowledge within two years.
ISACA is addressing this knowledge gap by releasing a series of on-demand AI training, with three courses that launched earlier this month:
- AI Essentials—Explores foundational principles and applications of AI and provides a comprehensive overview of core AI concepts, algorithms and application of AI
- Auditing Generative AI: Strategy, Analysis and Risk Mitigation—Explores generative AI, including considerations of usage, associated risks, and its impact on auditing processes, with emphasis on security, ethical considerations, data governance, and compliance with regulations
- AI Governance: Principles, Strategies and Business Alignment—Explores how governance practices apply throughout the AI lifecycle, from development and implementation to ongoing monitoring and maintenance, ensuring consistent and effective governance at every stage
These new courses join additional AI-focused resources from ISACA, including:
- A new book titled Artificial Intelligence: A Primer on Machine Learning, Deep Learning, and Neural Networks
- Artificial Intelligence Audit Toolkit
- Using the Digital Trust Ecosystem Framework to Achieve Trustworthy AI white paper
- An AI acceptable use policy template (one of 15 IS/IT policies available in ISACA’s Policy Template Library)
To access these and other ISACA resources around AI, visit www.isaca.org/ai.