AI distractions could hinder Australian business progress

Experts have emphasised the need for business and technology leaders to approach artificial intelligence (AI) with caution and a focus on risk mitigation, following recent reports about DeepSeek's rise and a cyber attack impacting global financial markets.

Paul Berkovic, Co-Founder and Chief Commercial Officer of Rayven, shared his thoughts on the subject.

"DeepSeek's meteoric rise is the latest addition to the complex race to 'win' data, customers, and revenue in this rapidly evolving AI era - and they'll most certainly not be the last disrupter we see. The growth of AI will not be linear, neither will it be predictable, nor necessarily dominated by the Magnificent Seven," he stated.

Berkovic continued, "Whether it's startups in China trying to compete with ChatGPT, or businesses in Australia working with their own data to automate operations and service delivery, the capabilities of AI continue to overtake business leaders' mindsets, driven by a fear of being left behind. However, amongst this scramble, businesses and research is telling us that many execs are spending a disproportionate amount of time thinking and hearing about AI, in comparison to the tangible outcomes from it."

He also warned against the distractions AI could pose to senior executives. "In other words: AI is growing into one of our business sectors' biggest and most resource-intensive distractions. This distraction is deterring Boards and C-suite executives from focusing on their core areas of business and managing risk they can mitigate, including cyber."

"We see too often in Australia a rush to jump on the latest shiny new thing."

Berkovic suggested a more grounded approach to integrating AI. "While there is a time and place for this and there is an important link between innovation for progress and leveraging the latest technologies, when it comes to AI, Australian businesses really need to get back to basics. This means ensuring their own data is accurate, secure, and will be ready for practical, business-orientated applications of AI when it's clear exactly what those are and where they'll find the best ROI."

Tim Morris, Chief Security Advisor at Tanium, added a perspective focused on the security implications of AI use in business.

"Employees want to use AI because it makes them more productive, but if the recent DeepSeek cyber attacks teach us anything, it's that these AI tools can be more vulnerable than we think. Without the proper governance policies, training programs and security controls, unsanctioned AI tools could become a huge risk for companies worldwide," Morris said.

He emphasised the importance of visibility and control over AI use. "Having a resilient approach that provides visibility into unapproved AI usage by detecting LLMs and related scripts on employee devices is key. These tools can help IT departments track unauthorized downloads, flag suspicious activity, and ensure compliance with company policies."

Morris concluded with a note on balancing innovation and security in the AI-driven future, "The companies that can strike the right balance between innovation and security will thrive in the AI-powered future; those that can't will continue flying blind without any IT visibility."