Generative AI Is a Top Emerging Risk for Enterprises, Gartner Says

Generative AI tools such as ChatGPT and Google Bard have cracked the top-10 list of emerging risks for enterprises, according to a new report by research firm Gartner.

The report polled 249 senior risk executives to develop a list of the top-20 emerging risks for enterprises.

"Generative AI was the second most-frequently named risk in our second quarter survey, appearing in the top 10 for the first time," said Ran Xu, director, research, in the Gartner Risk & Audit Practice, in a prepared statement. "This reflects both the rapid growth of public awareness and usage of generative AI tools, as well as the breadth of potential use cases, and therefore potential risks, that these tools engender."

Gartner said that among the key risks for generative AI are:

  • Data privacy, since generative AI tools share information with third parties;

  • Information security, as hackers look for ways to "subvert it for their own ends," according to Xu; and

  • Intellectual property, as sensitive, copyrighted, or confidential information can be leaked through these tools.

The top 5 emerging risks in the latest report included:

  1. Third-party viability, cited by 67% of respondents;

  2. Mass availability of generative AI, cited by 66%;

  3. Financial planning uncertainty (62%);

  4. Cloud concentration risk (62%); and

  5. China trade tensions (56%).

The full report is available to Gartner clients here.

 

About the Author

David Nagel is the former editorial director of 1105 Media's Education Group and editor-in-chief of THE Journal, STEAM Universe, and Spaces4Learning. A 30-year publishing veteran, Nagel has led or contributed to dozens of technology, art, marketing, media, and business publications.

He can be reached at [email protected]. You can also connect with him on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/davidrnagel/ .


Featured

  • interconnected glowing nodes and circuits in blue and green, forming a neural network on a dark background with a futuristic design

    Tech Giants Launch $100 Billion AI Infrastructure Network Project

    OpenAI, SoftBank, and Oracle have unveiled a new venture, Stargate, through which they aim to build a massive AI infrastructure network across the United States. The initiative, which was announced at the White House with President Donald Trump, has been described as the "largest AI infrastructure project in history."

  • glowing crystal ball with a simplified university building inside, surrounded by seamlessly blended holographic symbols of binary code, a bar graph, database icons, and a cloud, against a gradient blue and white background with softly merging circuit patterns

    3 Areas Where AI Will Impact Higher Ed Most in 2025

    What should colleges and universities expect from the evolving landscape of artificial intelligence in the coming year? Here's what the experts told us.

  • glowing video screen with a play button, next to a floating holographic paper transcript displaying faint digital text

    3Play Media Launches AI-Enabled Accessibility Tools

    Accessibility provider 3Play Media has introduced new AI-enabled video accessibility solutions designed to help colleges and universities meet ADA Title II compliance regulations.

  • Two figures, one male and one female, stand beside a transparent digital interface displaying AI symbols like neural networks, code, and a shield, against a clean blue gradient background.

    Report Makes Business Case for Responsible AI

    A new report commissioned by Microsoft and published last month by research firm IDC notes that 91% of organizations use AI tech and expect more than a 24% improvement in customer experience, business resilience, sustainability, and operational efficiency due to AI in 2024.