Managing internal and external risks related to data
Generally speaking, the more data a company has, the better informed it is when it comes to serving its customers. However, organisations will also have to manage internal and external risks related to data, especially when it comes to privacy. The biggest fear of 20%13 of people surveyed by Hanover is that the use of AI will breach their private information.
AI has the potential to transform our lives for the better in an exponential way, so there is an urgency for its organisations to grasp the relevant communications challenges. As well as company-by-company change management, all advocates of AI need to understand that misperceptions could strangle the next phase of the technology revolution at birth.
Our survey shows that 54%14 of people fear the long-term implications of Brexit over those of AI. But public perception can shift rapidly, and businesses that underestimate the need to have an AI communications strategy in place will flounder if surprised by a public relations scandal.
When it comes to using the data, customers need to feel and understand the benefits of why their data is being used – both for themselves and for society as a whole.
Bombarding them with information won’t necessarily influence their perception. They have to be taken on a journey, to learn for themselves why the implementation of AI is a positive thing. They must link the use of this data to tangible benefits for society. For example, AI can reduce the burden of mundane tasks, so that the workforce can be deployed to roles that utilise its strengths, ultimately providing better service to customers.
Organisations need to start having these conversations with the public, regulators and policymakers to demonstrate that their underlying motive for using this data is to improve the quality of service to their end customers.
They need to be transparent about the need to make a profit, which can be channelled into research, but they can also show that they are aware of the societal benefits and of their responsibilities when adopting it. This clearly defined purpose and the narrative that supports it will help to make sure that its intentions are reflected by public perception of them.
With a population of around 500million people, the EU will be a huge market for AI-driven healthcare services.
Its aim is to take a bloc-wide approach to regulation. Existing data regulations such as GDPR will have a profound effect, with patients owning and having greater control over their data than they do in other regions.
This naturally has implications for state healthcare providers, and even more so for companies involved in this sector. This is partly because the infrastructure does not yet exist to manage these vast and expanding quantities of medical data.
Then there are anxieties in the UK about the commercial role of private companies in healthcare provision, and public disquiet about the idea that they might use their connection with the NHS and their access to individuals’ medical data for solely commercial reasons.
This is exacerbated by non-traditional companies entering this sector, with long standing healthcare providers being challenged by technology companies. Earlier this year, for instance, Amazon announced that it was buying online pharmacy PillPack, sending shares in traditional healthcare firms plunging.
These new arrivals have none of the legacy issues and face fewer regulatory constraints than their older rivals. In many cases they also enjoy greater brand recognition and public approval than even the largest, best established healthcare providers.
The ownership and use of personal data are inherently sensitive, but healthcare data has an added significance and an emotional dimension to the debate surrounding businesses using AI.
As the quantity of medical data expands rapidly, questions are already being asked about how it should be used and shared.
The UK Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, Matt Hancock, sees huge potential in this space, announcing that the government wants to see a more preventative approach to healthcare, a goal that can be facilitated by more high quality data.15 However, communicators need to help public perception catch up with the benefits of technology.