AI Is Speeding Up Your Business. Is It Putting Client Data at Risk?

AI Is Speeding Up Your Business. Is It Putting Client Data at Risk?

A few minutes saved on a client report could lead to hours of explaining where the client’s information went.

An employee uploads a file to an AI tool to get a quick summary. The task is finished sooner. Yet no one has checked whether that tool is suitable for the information in the file.

Now your business may need to find out what was shared, how the service handles it and whether your client’s terms were followed.

That is a difficult conversation to have after the work has been done.

AI can be useful for drafting text, sorting information and helping teams work through routine tasks. The National Cyber Security Centre also highlights the risks when staff use tools outside their business’s approved systems and processes.

The useful question is how your business will gain those benefits while keeping client information under control. ISO 27001 and ISO 42001 give you a way to connect information security with the management of AI use.

ISO/IEC 27001 and ISO/IEC 42001 each set requirements for a management system. That is a set of rules, duties and checks used to guide how your business works.

ISO 27001 helps you look at information across the business, including the people, policies and technology involved. ISO 42001 adds a structure for managing AI risks and opportunities in businesses that develop, provide or use AI systems.

You can apply that thinking to a simple task such as preparing a client report. The security review looks at the information and how it is handled. The AI review also considers the purpose of the task, the result produced and the checks needed before that result is used.

A connected approach can make these reviews easier to follow. The people who manage security, client work and AI use can share the facts and agree what should happen at each step.

Begin by finding out where AI is used now. Ask teams which tools they use, what jobs they use them for and which information goes into them. Include AI features within existing software, where those features are being used for work.

Keep the discussion open. A member of staff may have found a helpful tool without knowing how to check it. Understanding the job they are trying to complete gives you a better starting point for deciding what support they need.

Make a simple list of the uses you find. Record the tool, the task, the people involved and the person responsible for reviewing it. Add any links to client files or other business systems.

This gives you a clearer view of where information may move. A tool used to suggest general wording may have a different risk from one allowed to search client records or work with full documents.

Then look closely at the information used in each task. A client file may contain names, contact details, prices or plans that have yet to be made public. Check the whole file so the review reflects what would actually be shared.

Some of that information may also be personal data. The ICO’s AI guidance highlights the need to assess and manage security risks when AI processes personal data. Bring the people responsible for privacy into the review where this applies.

Give your staff clear examples of what they can use in an approved tool. Explain which types of information need further checks and who can help with a decision. Use examples that fit the work your team handles each day.

For a writing task, consider whether general wording or a made-up example would be enough. A request to explain a common process may be possible without including a client’s real records.

Where real information is needed, review the purpose and the amount required. The ICO’s guidance covers limiting personal data to what is needed for the task. Keep that principle in view when planning how your team will use AI.

Removing a name is one step to review carefully. Other details in a document may still reveal who the work concerns or include information the client expects you to protect. Check the remaining content before deciding that it is suitable to share.

Next, review the service itself. Information handling can depend on the tool, the account and the arrangements in place. The NCSC highlights the importance of understanding a provider’s terms and privacy policy before using sensitive information with its service.

Find out what happens to the instructions, uploaded files and results. Check how long they are kept, who may access them and whether they may be used to improve the service. Record the settings and terms that apply to the account your team will use.

Include any other providers involved in handling the information. Ask where the data is processed and how the arrangements fit your business and client needs. Pass unclear points to the people able to assess them.

Keep the review linked to the actual task. A tool approved for drafting general social posts may need a further review before it is used to summarise private client files. Make the limits of approval easy for staff to understand.

Check the terms you have agreed with each client before approving a use of AI. Some work may have specific rules about sharing information, using outside services or telling the client how the work is done. Record those requirements with the task so staff can see which rules apply.

Where a client asks for a different approach, pass that request to the people who can assess it and make a decision. Update the instructions once the decision is agreed, so the delivery team has a clear account of what it can do.

You can hold a short list of approved tools and uses in a place your team can find. Include the account they should use and the person to contact if they want to try a new task.

Review the list when the service changes. A new feature, a new connection or different terms may affect the original decision. Record who will check such changes and how staff will be told about any revised rules.

Account access deserves attention too. Agree who can use the service and who can change its settings. Ask your security team to choose suitable sign-in controls and check how access will be removed when someone leaves or changes roles.

If a tool can search shared files, review which files it is allowed to reach. Check that access fits the task and the person using it. Include this in your review before linking the tool to client information.

Use suitable test files to check what happens in practice. Confirm that users can reach the information they need and that the agreed limits are working. Keep a record of what was tested and any changes made.

Also check where the results are saved and shared. An AI draft may be copied into an email, added to a shared folder or sent to a customer. Give these later steps the same attention as the information entered at the start.

This is one reason AI data security benefits from a view of the whole task. You need to understand how information enters the tool, what the tool can do with it and where the result goes next.

Some AI tools can take further actions, such as sending a message or updating a record. Review those actions separately. Decide which actions should need a person to check them and make sure the permissions match that decision.

The NCSC explains that AI systems can be affected by harmful inputs designed to make them behave in an unintended way. Those effects can include revealing private information or triggering unwanted actions. Your technical team should assess how this risk applies to connected tools.

For a business manager, the practical step is to ask what the tool can read, change or send. Keep that access within the needs of the task and make sure the people reviewing it understand the possible effects.

Human review also matters for the quality of the result. The NCSC notes that AI can present incorrect statements as facts. A clear checking process helps your team catch mistakes before the work is used or sent to a client.

Suppose a member of staff uses AI to draft a project update. The draft gives a date that was never agreed and describes work as complete when it is still in progress. The person checking it needs the original job information to spot those errors.

Agree who checks each kind of output and what they should look for. A client report may need someone who understands the work. A draft containing personal details may also need a check of whether those details should be included.

Give reviewers enough time and access to the right records. A check becomes more useful when the person can compare the draft with the facts and make changes before it reaches the next stage.

Consider how AI affects people as well. If a tool helps assess a person or recommend a decision about them, review the quality of the information and the effects of the result. ISO 42001 covers AI management risks beyond the handling of data alone.

This wider view can help managers decide where AI support is suitable and what oversight the task needs. Keep the purpose of the tool clear, with a named person responsible for reviewing how it performs.

Staff training should connect these decisions with daily work. Show people which tools and accounts are approved, what information they can use and how to check the result. Give them a clear route for asking questions.

Use practice tasks with suitable sample information. Ask a team member to explain what they would enter, which details they would leave out and who would review the draft. Their answers can show where an instruction needs to be clearer.

Keep the rules short enough to use. An instruction such as use AI responsibly needs more detail to guide a real task. Explain the steps for common jobs and show where staff can find the current version.

Make it easy to ask for a useful tool or a new use. The NCSC’s guidance on unapproved AI highlights the value of understanding staff needs and providing suitable alternatives. A clear route for requests can help your business review new ideas.

Agree ownership across the business. The person responsible for AI use should be able to work with security, privacy and the teams delivering client services. Give them a clear route to raise issues with managers.

Decide who can approve a new use, who will check suppliers and who will review access. Record the duties in a way that fits your team. Include cover so a question can be resolved when the usual person is away.

Keep a record of important decisions. Note the task reviewed, the information involved, the checks completed and any limits agreed. This helps you explain why a tool was approved and what staff are expected to do.

Then check that the arrangements work in practice. Choose a recent task and follow it from the original request through to the finished output. Compare what happened with the approved steps and talk to the people involved.

You may find that an approved tool was used with the wrong account, that a review was missed or that an old instruction was still being followed. Record the finding and agree what needs to change.

A planned internal audit can provide another way to review your system. This is a check of your own arrangements and how they are used. Give the findings clear owners and review whether the agreed actions have helped.

Managers should see the important findings and make time for improvements. Training, supplier reviews and checks all need support. A useful review can show where the team needs clearer instructions or more time to complete the work properly.

Prepare a response for problems too. Staff should know whom to contact if they think client information has been shared through an unsuitable tool or if a result has reached the wrong person.

Agree the first steps with your security and privacy teams. Record what happened, which information may be involved and which provider was used. Keep the relevant records so the people handling the issue can assess it properly.

Those teams can then decide on further action and any reporting or client contact required. Keep the response based on the facts available and record what is still being checked.

Use the findings to improve the process. A clear lesson from a small mistake can help you revise a task, strengthen an access limit or improve training. Track the action through to completion.

Connected AI and security planning can also help you answer client questions. A client may want to know whether AI is used in their work, which tools are approved and how their information is protected.

Answer using the arrangements you have put in place and checked. Explain the scope of any certification accurately and support your claims with suitable evidence. This gives the client a clearer view of how the work is managed.

If you already hold ISO 27001 certification, bring AI use into the review of your current security arrangements. Identify what has changed in the way information is handled and which checks need updating.

When considering ISO 42001, look at the purpose and effects of AI across the work it supports. BSI’s guidance explains how AI management can add attention to risks and decisions that sit alongside existing information security arrangements.

Your business can use shared processes where they suit both standards, while keeping the needs of each one clear. Supplier reviews, staff duties and improvement actions can be easier to follow when the relevant people work from the same facts.

The benefits of ISO consultant support include help to review your starting point, understand the standards and make a practical plan. An adviser can help connect the documents with the tasks your team needs to carry out.

Compliant offers support for ISO 27001 and ISO 42001, including reviewing gaps, developing management documents, internal audits and ongoing support. This provides a route for businesses preparing for certification or improving an existing system.

Bring your list of AI tools, current security rules and a few examples of the work your team wants to do. Add any supplier questions, client requirements or unclear duties you have identified.

These give a useful starting point for deciding which uses need attention first and what support would help. You can then give the actions clear owners and realistic dates.

Speak to Compliant about your certification plans. Learn how connected ISO 27001 and ISO 42001 support could help you manage AI use, strengthen information security and protect the client data your business handles.