Legal implications

The use of any prompts within the tools’ training data can also cause legal issues relating to data protection.

Inputting information by which a client can be identified will potentially breach professional responsibilities to keep client information confidential. There may also be breaches of data protection law if individuals have not consented to their information being shared in this way.

Finally, as with all technology, there are the risks of the system being hacked or held to ransom. The usual concerns about cybersecurity apply to GenAI as well as other IT systems – GenAI can also be used as a tool in more sophisticated cyber-attacks.

This section will now consider two concerns that relate to the consequences on individuals of using GenAI: the digital divide and deskilling (the former is considered in the fourth course, and the latter in the eighth course).