Artificial Intelligence (AI) has become a focal point in the corporate world. While technical teams grapple with the feasibility of AI creation, and executives strategize on budget allocation for its development and deployment, it is imperative for the board of directors to deliberate on their role in this context. Beyond considering the competitive advantage and return on investment, board members must also contemplate the new obligations and risks associated with AI adoption.
The development and utilization of AI in a company's offerings could entail several obligations. Initially, the company must ascertain if the proposed AI is permissible in the jurisdiction where it will be deployed or accessible by customers. For example, the recently approved EU AI Act (see our previous post) prohibits certain AI use cases, such as social credit scoring, certain instances of facial recognition data scraping, and select biometric data processing. Privacy laws also grant consumers rights that companies utilizing AI will have to account for, such as the right to have their data deleted, to be free from automated processing that may significantly impact the consumer, and to be transparently informed about the AI being used, including the workings of the model. Compliance with these rights and other legal requirements necessitates the incorporation of specific features into the AI model.
In October 2023, President Biden issued Executive Order 14110 (EO) on the safe, secure, and trustworthy development and deployment of AI. This EO mandates rigorous testing (including the use of dedicated "red teams" to identify AI flaws and vulnerabilities), enhanced security, compliance with forthcoming standards set by the NIST, and the protection of civil rights by avoiding AI-based discrimination. Companies in the federal supply chain should pay particular attention to the obligations outlined in this EO, as they will experience its impact almost immediately through increased scrutiny in the procurement process as most federal agencies hasten to implement these changes.
The adoption of this relatively new technology, along with its associated laws, executive orders, and obligations, brings corresponding risks. From an operational perspective, AI is a complex technology, and its development or implementation can introduce additional cybersecurity risks, either directly or through a vendor. AI security risks are further exacerbated when large volumes of personal data (used as training data for the AI) may be exposed or compromised, leading to potential data breach liability and subsequent reputational damage. Despite the limited number of AI-specific laws currently in place, legal risk should be a primary concern, whether arising indirectly from a privacy law or directly from laws specifically addressing AI. These laws can result in fines of up to 7% of annual revenue (or approximately $37 million if greater) and a ban in one or more countries, both of which will negatively impact a company's bottom line. In certain cases, a company may also face lawsuits or class actions by consumers affected by the AI if their injury is based on rights under certain privacy laws.
Boards must carefully weigh these additional obligations and risks against the benefits offered by AI, especially in an era where board members are increasingly facing personal liability for decisions that may not align with their duties to the company. Staying informed is often the best defense for a board, and Brown Rudnick is prepared to guide board members through the risks, obligations, and best practices associated with using AI.
Use of new technologies, such as AI, does not excuse organizations from their legal obligations, and hard-won consumer protections are more important than ever in moments of technological change. The Federal Government will enforce existing consumer protection laws and principles and enact appropriate safeguards against fraud, unintended bias, discrimination, infringements on privacy, and other harms from AI.
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