Security
how you keep data, systems, devices and staff safe
AI use adds new ways for data and systems to be exposed or attacked. This card is about keeping your data, accounts, devices, and staff safe as you bring AI into the work. A team pauses here because journalists can be targets, and a weak point can put people at risk.
Questions to explore
- Where does AI use open new security risks for your data or systems?
- How do you keep accounts and devices used with AI tools secure?
- What would happen if someone gained access to the information you put into a tool?
- How prepared are staff to spot AI-related scams or manipulation aimed at them?
- Which of your systems would cause the most harm if they were breached?
Expert voices
“AI expands the possibilities for online attacks on newsrooms: a fake video featuring your journalist's face can now be generated quickly. How can an editorial office counter this?”
“Using AI always means sharing or making data accessible, and that data can end up in the hands of repressive actors or businesses that exploit it. Reflect on AI in oppressive and conflict settings.”
“In hostile or authoritarian contexts, AI becomes a surveillance instrument: tools can track journalists' keystrokes and social media activity.”
“Make sure AI tools never compromise the security of your journalistic sources or expose sensitive information about them.”
Things to consider
- New tools can quietly expand the ways your systems can be reached.
- Staff are often the first target, so their habits are part of your security.
- The most sensitive systems deserve the most attention.
Pull Security when it is relevant and set it aside when it is not. Pair it with the other AI Conversations cards, lay them out on a table, and use the questions above to get everyone on the same page. Capture what you discuss on sticky notes or in a shared doc.
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