Is AI Helping to Protect the Data of its Users?

It seems like we can’t do anything or go anywhere today without artificial intelligence sticking its robotic nose in. It’s difficult to think of an industry that hasn’t been impacted by AI in some way—every time we make a simple Google search, we’re greeted with an AI summary of the results.

In this article, we won’t just be waxing lyrical about the great uses and potential of AI across industry. We’ll also be talking about what AI companies do to help protect the data of their users and whether that’s enough to know you’re safe the next time you’re chatting to ChatGPT.

How is AI Used By Businesses and Individuals?

Before we get into data privacy, let’s look at exactly who the users of AI actually are. To start, there are individuals like you or me who might use AI to help with our everyday lives. The European Parliament determined the most common ways we’re likely to encounter AI day to day.¹ They include tailored ads and recommended products when shopping, smartphone assistants like Alexa or Siri, and the automatic translation of pages. We might not even realise that something we use almost every day relies on AI!

          FaceID

Did you know that every time you use FaceID to open your phone, you’re actually using AI? AI is used to determine whether the face that appears is actually yours. It places 30,000 invisible infrared dots to create an image of your face and then uses algorithms to detect whether it matches their stored version.² This is so incredibly accurate that Apple estimates the chance of fooling FaceID is actually only around one in a million.

         Understanding Customers

AI analyses data almost incomprehensibly fast (more on that later) and businesses use this to help them understand their customers better. Whether we’re talking about analysing customers’ history to determine their preferences, or tailoring ads and marketing materials to them, AI helps businesses better adapt to their customers.

AI can also help keep customers safe—like in the online gambling industry, where AI offers a glimmer of hope when it comes to improving responsible gambling. In July 2025, SportRadar Group AG launched Bettor Sense, which uses AI to tailor responsible gambling measures.³ By analysing player behaviour—including real time data—it determines which tools would be the most helpful. For example, if the player shows erratic and high spending patterns, it might suggest a financial tool like a deposit or loss limit. By analysing data in real time, it’s also able to alert the provider quickly for earlier intervention.

What are Some of the Benefits of Using AI?

One of the main selling points for AI is its ability to process data much faster than any human could. It’s been found to generate insights 1000 times faster than human data analysis, making it an important tool for any business that uses data, which is of course quite a lot!⁴ This distinct advantage is big news in industries like healthcare—where patient records and stats are continually being analysed. In a high-pressure and often overstretched environment, AI can take some of the strain to provide speedier data insights.

          Eliminating Human Error

The clue is in the name for artificial intelligence, but another of its benefits is that it eliminates the potential for human error. By creating an average for a dataset, AI is able to discount any outliers that could skew results. It also prevents natural human errors and maintains consistency, which is important in many industries, including finance. AI is also intended to prevent human biases—including those that we might not even realise we have—as it relies purely on data. Making decisions based on algorithms can mean they’re more accurate.

          On-demand and Round-the-clock

AI is more accessible now than ever before—with a simple Google search putting some of the most powerful platforms right at your fingertips! Unlike humans (who do, unfortunately, need to sleep), AI is available 24/7, which can help turn around analytics faster than humans can.

How Does AI Make Sure Your Data is Protected?

There’s quite a lot of sensitive and personal information included in the examples I just mentioned—including things like medical records, financial details, and even images of your face. This is why it’s so important that AI platforms keep your data safe, but how exactly do they do that?

          Following GDPR

In Europe, platforms have to follow regulations and guides put in place to protect users’ personal information, such as the GDPR. This important legislation outlines that users have to give express consent to share their information before providers can collect and process it. Thanks to the purpose limitation principle, companies have to have a clear, specific, and legal purpose for any data they collect. They must also warn users about this purpose and only collect the absolute minimum amount of data needed to achieve their goal.

GDPR also gives users the ability to access their information and delete anything they want. Users should be informed of how this information is stored, which should always follow guidelines on data protection. Once the intended purpose of the information has been fulfilled, the data should be discarded.

          EU Artificial Intelligence Act

The EU published what is seen as the first comprehensive framework on AI. This targets user safety by introducing strict management and high levels of transparency. It also takes aim at data and AI—preventing scraping of facial images from the Internet for facial recognition databases. In a similar vein, it stops the use of biometric identification in public by law enforcement. Finally, AI companies have to meet the Act’s requirements on data governance to keep users’ information secure.

          What Else can AI Providers Do?

The EU also has a number of further suggestions on how AI companies should keep users safe. The first is to undertake regular risk assessments to ensure any information collected is safely secured. Being transparent with users about what data they wish to collect, and how it will be used, is also important, and this should be carried out before the user opts in. Particularly sensitive data relating to health, employment, education, crime, and finances is subjected to additional protection and can only be collected and used in very specific contexts. Organisations should report any breaches or data leaks so security can continue to be improved.

Is That Enough to Keep Users Safe?

A number of experts—including Stanford University data experts Jennifer King and Caroline Meinhardt—believe that not enough is being done to protect our information. King highlights that there are no clear guidelines about what counts as collecting too much information or how quickly information should be discarded.⁵ She also proposes changing data collection to ‘opt-in’ to be more transparent with users and make understanding safety easier.

          Breaches in Data Security

King’s concerns certainly aren’t unfounded, as there have been significant breaches of guidelines—one of the most memorable being the Facebook security breach in 2018, which left over 50 million accounts exposed to a security flaw that allowed hackers to gain control.⁶ It was then found that the accounts were harvested by Cambridge Analytica to gather data for targeted ads in the future. Facebook faced fines of £500,000 in the UK and legal cases for their role in exposing the data of the users.⁷ However, the true result was in highlighting just how easy the site was to breach and the danger our data is in online.

How can You Keep Your Data Secure in the AI Era?

Although AI companies do have regulations in place to protect our data, it’s widely recognised that these don’t go far enough (and are, of course, at risk of breaches). That’s why it’s important that you also take steps to protect your data, like opting out of collections and checking which details are stored on a site—make sure to delete any you don’t want stored!

Carefully read what data is being collected and for what purpose, and take the time to reflect if you actually want to share that information with the platform. Sharing sensitive information about your finances or identity carries risks, which you should consider before you upload it. Although AI does offer clear advantages for individuals and businesses, it’s important to take it seriously to make sure you stay safe.

¹ What Is Artificial Intelligence and How Is it Used?, Written by the European Parliament, Published by the European Parliament.
² The 10 Best Examples of How AI Is Already Used in Our Everyday Life, Written by Bernard Marr, Published by Forbes.
³ AI Meets iGaming: Sportradar’s Bettor Sense Aims to Transform Player Protection, Written by Siobhan Aslett, Published by Irishluck.
⁴ AI Can Generate Insights 1000x Faster Than Human Analysis, Written by Ryan Morris-Reade, Published by IT Brief Australia.
⁵ Privacy in an AI Era: How Do We Protect Our Personal Information?, Written by Katherine Miller, Published by Stanford University.

Main image by Rubidium Beach on Unsplash