Combined with accelerated advances in Artificial Intelligence (AI), the broadened scope of algorithm use allows businesses now more than ever to unlock increased operational efficiencies, from enhanced customer experience to targeted strategic planning. Assurance is rising to the fore in the context of these technological developments to ensure risks created by algorithms and AI are appropriately managed and to respond effectively to magnified interest from regulators and the public alike.
Whilst many benefits can come from leveraging the power of algorithms within your business, there remains the real threat that the inappropriate use, or ineffective management, of these systems can significantly increase the organisation’s exposures to legal, regulatory and operational risks. Recent years have witnessed first-hand the consequences of defective algorithm risk management and the reputational, regulatory and financial damage that can be caused.
An increasing gravitation towards Artificial Intelligence systems has marked a departure from the traditional operation of algorithms and a shift in the associated risks that these now pose to the market. Customer interactions driven by chatbots, healthcare screenings powered by AI or fraud detection in consumer spending habits monitored using Machine Learning all carry consequences of direct consumer harm and yet these risks are often unknown to the end user. For a technology where the playing field is constantly evolving, incoming regulation calls more for a focus on validation of AI development beyond simple algorithmic control assessments.