Protecting Intellectual Property

Considerations for protecting your intellectual property while using generative AI

With large language models and generative redefining the value of work, intellectual property will become an increasing valuable asset that must be protected. When sending prompts containing sensitive information or intellectual property, it is essential to ensure that your data remains secure and confidential. Here are some steps you can take to protect your IP when interacting with AI models:

1. Anonymize your data: Before sending any sensitive information to the AI model, remove or obfuscate any personally identifiable information (PII) or confidential data. We discuss this in detail in Protecting Data.

2. Use secure connections: Ensure that your connection to the AI model's API is encrypted and secure. Use HTTPS and SSL/TLS to transmit data between your application and the AI service. This will help prevent unauthorized access to your data during transit.

3. Limit data retention: Check the data retention policies of the AI service provider. Ensure that they have a reasonable data retention period and that they follow proper data deletion practices. If possible, use a provider that allows you to configure data retention settings according to your needs.

4. Review terms of service and privacy policies: Carefully read the terms of service and privacy policies of the AI service provider. Ensure that they do not claim any ownership of the data you send and that they have proper security measures in place to protect your data.

5. Monitor usage and access: Keep track of who has access to the AI model within your organization. Limit access to only those who require it and regularly review the usage logs to identify any suspicious activity.

6. Contractual agreements: Establish clear contractual agreements with the AI service provider that outline the ownership of intellectual property, data protection requirements, and the responsibilities of both parties.

7. Use on-premises or private cloud solutions: If available and feasible, consider using on-premises or private cloud solutions for AI processing. This will give you more control over the storage and processing of your data, as well as the security measures in place.

8. Stay informed and adapt: As technology evolves, so do the threats and risks associated with it. Keep yourself informed about the latest developments in AI and data protection and update your strategies accordingly.

Unlike data, intellectual property is much more difficult to anonymize. When using generative AI, you should always be mindful and ask yourself what someone could infer by reading through your prompt history. By keeping this mindset and taking the precautions above, about the security of your intellectual property, you can minimize the risks associated with using large language models while still benefiting from their capabilities.