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The companies now banning their workers from using ChatGPT

May 19, 2023, 12:41pm EDT
North America
REUTERS/Dado Ruvic
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The News

Major banks and technology companies have imposed restrictions on their employees’ use of ChatGPT, the artificial intelligence tool, over concerns about confidential data leaks.

They have cited worries about the unintentional transfer of information while using the advanced chatbot, which has the ability to solve complex problems and summarize financial reports in a human-like way.

Here are the companies clamping down on their workers’ use of the technology, created by the firm OpenAI and released in November, that is already changing the way people work.

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Apple

Apple has restricted the use of ChatGPT for some employees due to concerns over the leaking of confidential information, The Wall Street Journal reported Friday.

In addition, it told workers not to use GitHub’s Copilot, a Microsoft-owned writing tool that is powered by artificial intelligence, according to a document seen by the Journal.

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Apple has also been wary of the emergence of apps that use generative AI in its App Store. The Journal said Apple temporarily blocked an update of the BlueMail email app after it added a ChatGPT feature.

JPMorgan Chase

The financial services firm restricted its global staff’s use of the program in February, in accordance with the company’s policy on limiting the use of third-party software due to compliance concerns.

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The decision allegedly didn’t come from an isolated incident, a person familiar with the matter said, though The Telegraph reported that the ban was imposed due to concerns over the sharing of sensitive financial information.

Verizon

In a public address to employees, the telecom giant’s executives said that the program is no longer accessible from the company’s corporate systems, due to the risk of “losing control of customer information, source code and more.”

Citigroup and Goldman Sachs

Citigroup and Goldman Sachs — two of the largest banks in the world — have blocked access to ChatGPT due to restrictions that are imposed around third-party software, Bloomberg reported in February.

Wells Fargo

Speaking to Forbes, the bank is evaluating ways for employees to use the chatbot safely. For now, however, it has imposed “usage limits” on ChatGPT as part of its control procedures on third-party software.

Bank of America

ChatGPT was added to Bank of America’s list of unauthorized apps that included WhatsApp. According to sources familiar with the matter, who spoke with Bloomberg, workers would not be allowed to use the program for business, and need to have the app vetted before using it in their communications.

Deutsche Bank

Access to the app has been disabled, a spokesperson said, though it’s unclear whether the restrictions only apply to company devices.

Amazon

According to documents seen by Insider, citing Slack messages from the company, a lawyer from Amazon urged employees not to share code with the AI chatbot — specifying that any confidential information should not be used on ChatGPT.

The guidance allegedly came after Amazon witnessed ChatGPT responses that have copied internal Amazon data.

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