New report reveals Australians' strong curiosity about AI applications
Australian employees are widely exploring the use of artificial intelligence tools in their work, even to the point of bypassing official policies to experiment with the technology, according to a new report from Google Workspace.
The report, which polled 1,017 Australians, revealed that more than half of employees are bypassing official policy to "try or experiment with different AI tools."
Gen Z and Millennial employees are also almost twice as likely as older cohorts to explore beyond approved tools.
The findings indicate a strong curiosity in the workforce when it comes to AI adoption, likely driven by the benefits that they gain from it.
According to the report, 25% of employees believe they can automate their routine "busy work."
In fact, some said they are already saving 2.5 hours a week thanks to AI, with 86% noting that they reinvest the saved time to more human-centric tasks, such as problem-solving, strategic decision-making, and collaboration.
Exploration of AI tools is also likely rooted in Australians wanting to learn about AI through experience.
According to the report, 74% believe the most effective way to learn AI is simply by using the tools themselves.
This is much higher than the share of employees who said they are learning about AI from formal training (49%) and colleagues (42%).
Risks of bypassing AI guidance
But the findings come in the wake of warnings that bypassing official company guidelines to experiment with AI tools can lead to consequences.
Experts have warned that using AI without proper approval or supervision can lead to data loss or data leaks, especially after previous research revealed that some employees are entering sensitive information into AI tools.
In Australia, six in 10 employees said their organisation already has an official AI usage policy. Another 79% said their organisation supports their exploration of AI tools.
According to Google Workspace, fuelling employees' curiosity for AI by providing them with tried-and-tested tools is the way to drive innovation at work.
"What this survey really tells us is that curiosity is contagious. When one person finds a better way to work, they can't help but share it. Culturally smart organisations don't fight this, they fuel it," said Haydn Sallmann, Director, Google Workspace, Asia Pacific, in a statement.
