Global cybersecurity company NordVPN on Tuesday released new survey findings on privacy risks South Koreans face related to AI tools, marking Data Privacy Day.

The company said its analysis of data from the National Privacy Test (NPT) conducted in 2025 found that 92% of South Koreans do not sufficiently recognise privacy protection factors to consider when using AI at work.

Generative AI tools such as ChatGPT and Copilot are spreading quickly as a way to boost workplace productivity. But cases are increasing in which personal information or work-related data is inadvertently exposed, and awareness remains lacking about how such data is stored and used.

The issue is not limited to workplaces. The same survey found 45% of South Koreans cannot accurately distinguish scams that use AI technology, such as deepfakes and voice cloning.

NordVPN stressed that to reduce the risk of personal data exposure in the AI era, judgment in the course of use and basic security principles matter more than the technology itself.

NordVPN recommended basic security standards and habits to protect against the use of generative AI at work and scams that misuse AI, including not entering company secrets and customer information, recognising that AI conversations may be recorded and stored, checking in advance an organisation's AI-use policies, being alert to unexpected requests for financial information, avoiding unconditional trust in AI-generated audio and video, and using security software properly while keeping it up to date.

NordVPN Chief Technology Officer Marijus Briedis (마리우스 브리에디스) said, "Unlike a conversation with a colleague, AI tools can be recorded and analysed, and could be used for future model training." He added, "If employees carelessly enter customer information, internal strategy or personal data into AI, security vulnerabilities they do not even recognise can arise."