At the chamber of commerce’s annual general meeting on March 19, Estevan business leaders gathered to learn from guest speaker Curtis Adair, a partner with MNP, about security threats and the role of artificial intelligence in business.
” AI can change small businesses ‘ entire business operations, but without a secure and resilient technology ecosystem and well-defined and adhered-to policies, we introduce vulnerabilities that put sensitive business operations in danger,” Adair said.
He emphasized that when adopting AI-driven systems, data security, integrity, and protection from digital risks must be top priorities.
” Think of AI like a person in your company. You don’t want to give them all, he said. It’s actually about considering what’s relevant to the result or cause we’re trying to achieve.
Adair noted that more people are unaware that small business cyberattacks are popular.
He added that cyberattacks can have devastating economic effects because, according to the Canadian Internet Registration Authority, roughly 44 % of small companies have reported them in the last year. The Canadian Chamber of Commerce reported that 41 % of Canadian small businesses estimated a$ 100 000 financial impact from an attack. That can be very crippling.
He issued a warning about emerging challenges like deepfakes and AI-generated scams.
Consider the potential for hackers to essentially deceive you because they can obtain an image or a movie that you might have posted on a social media platform, he said, noting that AI-generated avatars had eloquently imitate real people, putting a risk on both businesses and individual identities.
Adair urged participants to promote security training, adopt strict data entry controls, and constantly revise security software in order to protect their businesses.
” Zero faith is a place where things get started,” he said. Take some time to examine your business. Understand the information you have. Have a list of your files, documents, and other items you plan to add or time to.
He also urged businesses to adopt AI cautiously, focusing on smaller, manageable projects.
” AI serves as a copilot.” He claimed that the pilot is not involved. Never hold the impression that these Orion will manage your company in the most ethical and practical manner once they are implemented. You’ll have to bring this out. It’s meant to be an associate.
Adair gave examples of AI-based business tools that could be used, from supply chain optimization to automatic administrative duties. He cited AI-based receipt processing and scheduling as useful applications that can save businesses a lot of time and effort.
Merissa Scarlett, the executive director of the room, thanked Adair for his insight.