Navigating the Intersection of AI Development and Privacy Regulations in 2024

The Growth of AI and the Implications for Privacy in 2024

As we look ahead to the new year, the development and growth of artificial intelligence (AI) continue to capture the public imagination and expand our sense of technology’s capacity to be helpful. However, this rapid advancement has also sparked important policy conversations on how to balance innovation with robust data privacy protections.

In the United States alone, seven new state privacy laws were enacted in 2023, each of which will impact AI development. With the uncertainty of what 2024 will bring, it is clear that new regulatory requirements related to privacy, as well as laws specifically focused on AI, are imminent.

As Google’s compliance platform for app developers, Checks, contemplates the year ahead, three key areas have been identified that privacy professionals should pay attention to:

1. The use of public personal data in training models: AI models are often trained on massive datasets of public data, including personal information. Existing privacy laws will need to evolve to account for new circumstances under which personal data might be collected and processed. This may require reconsidering established definitions of key terms related to data privacy.

2. Harmonizing privacy regulations with new AI regulation: Governments worldwide are increasingly focusing on oversight of AI. It is crucial to consider how new laws and regulations will interact with existing privacy laws to ensure a cohesive regulatory framework.

3. Protecting children’s privacy: The Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA) governs the collection and use of children’s data in the U.S. With proposed rule changes addressing the use of AI in products and services directed at children, developers must carefully consider how they handle children’s data.

To prepare for the evolving regulatory landscape in 2024, companies and privacy professionals responsible for AI development are encouraged to:

– Make privacy a core tenet of the product and business model
– Build a compliance-aware culture within the organization
– Use AI to simplify compliance processes

By prioritizing privacy in company culture and product design, organizations can navigate shifting regulations smoothly. As the regulatory environment continues to evolve, transparency, collaboration, and the use of smart technology will be key in preparing for what lies ahead in 2024 and beyond.