Microsoft recently imposed a temporary ban on employee access to ChatGPT, citing security concerns. The management communicated this decision through an internal resource, and access to ChatGPT from corporate devices was promptly blocked.
Unforeseen Decision Despite Investments
This move raises eyebrows, especially considering Microsoft’s substantial investments in OpenAI, the creator of ChatGPT. Microsoft invested $3 billion in OpenAI last year and committed to an additional $10 billion this year. Despite this special relationship, the ban on ChatGPT was implemented, surprising many.
Management acknowledged the built-in protections in ChatGPT to prevent misuse but emphasized that it is a third-party external service. Employees were advised to exercise caution not only with ChatGPT but also with other external services, including the Midjourney image generator.
Brief Ban and Restoration
The ban, however, did not last long, notes NIXSolutions. Following public disclosure, Microsoft quickly reinstated employee access to ChatGPT by amending the statement on the internal resource. A company representative clarified that the ban was introduced mistakenly, part of testing a workplace control system for a large language model.
“We encourage employees and customers to use Bing Chat Enterprise and ChatGPT Enterprise, providing the highest levels of privacy and security,” added the Microsoft spokesperson.
This incident highlights the challenges in balancing security measures with the utilization of advanced AI tools in the corporate environment.