Security in an AI World: What Small Business Owners Need to Know
In May 2025, the Cybersecurity & Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), along with the FBI and international partners, released an information sheet on best practices for securing data in artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) applications. While much of the document is geared toward developers and engineers, there’s a lot that small business owners can take from it, too. If you're thinking about—or already—incorporating AI into your operations, it’s worth understanding how to do in a smart and secure manner.
Let’s break it down.
Understand the Risks: Not All Data Is Created Equal
One of the biggest challenges in using AI effectively is understanding the quality and origin of the data you're feeding into it. CISA’s guidance highlights two significant risks: data drift and poisoned data.
Data drift happens when the data your AI tools rely on changes over time, leading to unreliable or skewed results. This can be as simple as your customer base evolving or your industry shifting, but the AI keeps responding based on old patterns.
Poisoned data is more malicious. This is data that’s intentionally manipulated to lead AI systems astray. This can introduce vulnerabilities or generate inaccurate outputs, even when everything else seems to be working fine.
Before you let AI tools recommend marketing strategies or analyze customer feedback, ask yourself: Do I know where this tool gets its data from? If the answer is “no,” take a second to pause. Major AI developers like Google and OpenAI are transparent about their data sources and guardrails. Make sure any tools you’re using are, too.
Are You Using AI the Right Way?
It’s tempting to treat AI as a magic box: type in a question, get a polished result. But small business owners need to understand that AI systems can learn from the data you feed them—even unintentionally.
Unless you’re using enterprise-level tools that explicitly guarantee data privacy and isolation, anything you input could be stored or used to train future models. That customer list? Your upcoming product idea? A new marketing angle? Once it’s out there, it may not be yours alone anymore.
This is why choosing the right tools (and using them the right way) is essential. Free versions of popular AI platforms are great for experimentation, but not for handling sensitive or proprietary data. Whenever possible, opt for tools that offer enterprise-level protection, or work with vendors who prioritize secure, private data handling.
Best Practices from CISA: Simple Steps with Big Impact
CISA’s information sheet includes specific recommendations that translate well to small business use. Here are three you can implement immediately:
Know what data you’re sharing and where it’s going.
Be intentional about the type of data you feed into AI systems. Keep a clear inventory and label anything sensitive. Don’t assume that just because an app is popular, it’s private.Use access controls and permissions.
Ensure that only the right people in your organization can access and interact with AI tools, especially those that touch sensitive business data. Implement multifactor authentication and limit admin access to key staff.Stay updated on patches and updates.
Many AI platforms release regular updates to fix bugs and security holes. Make sure your tools and plugins are always up-to-date and subscribe to relevant security bulletins if available.
You can find the full CISA recommendations in their official AI security brief.
Human in the Loop: Your Best Defense
AI can streamline your workflow, automate repetitive tasks, and give you a fresh perspective on your business data, but it’s not infallible. The best safeguard? A human in the loop.
Always have someone reviewing AI-generated insights before they’re implemented. Check outputs against common sense. And, perhaps most importantly, use AI to support your decision-making, not replace it.
Small businesses don’t need to build their own AI tools to stay secure. But they do need to understand what goes in, what comes out, and how to control the process in between.
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