New report reveals employees are not being very transparent about using AI
Employees are not being very honest about their use of artificial intelligence tools in the workplace, a new report has found, underscoring the need for employers to prioritise AI transparency in their organisation.
Findings from Slingshot's Digital Work Trends report show that 45% of employees hide or avoid disclosing their use of AI in the workplace.
However, 60% of employers believe that their employees are being honest about their AI use.
Being an AI-ready organisation means establishing AI policies and promoting AI transparency at work, according to Dean Guida, founder of Slingshot.
However, Guida noted that these measures have "taken a back seat" to adopting an abundance of new AI tools.
"A company going 'all in on AI' doesn't translate to an immediate difference in how employees do their jobs–there are many operational and culture shifts that need to happen to unlock its full potential and drive business results," Guida said in a statement.
"Beyond the technical work to support this, a big part of creating an AI-powered organisation is to establish clear AI policies, promote AI transparency, and invest in continued employee AI education and training."
Why is AI use being hidden?
According to Slingshot's findings, 45% of employees are hiding their use of AI because they don't see the need to disclose or report their use of the technology.
"This can be because they see it part of their normal workflow, it doesn't affect work outcomes or there's no official company policy they need to adhere to," the report read.
More than a quarter of employees, however, are hiding AI use because they are worried that others will see them as cutting corners (34%) or because they are concerned about being judged or misunderstood (27%).
Gen Zs are most likely to say they are concerned about being judged for using AI compared with other generations in the workplace.
Older employees, including Millennials, Gen X and Y, and Boomers, are more likely to say that they don't see the need to disclose or report their AI use.
But their reasons are starkly different from what employers are assuming, according to Slingshot's findings.
Nearly half of employers (47%) believe the lack of AI transparency in the workforce is because employees are worried about job security or being replaced.
Just 16% of employers also think that employees are not disclosing AI use because they don't see the need for it.
"It's likely because employers assume an intent behind hidden AI use, when many employees simply see it as part of their daily workflow," the report read.
Risks of hiding AI use
The lack of transparency in using AI at work can leave organisations vulnerable to various cyber risks, such as data losses or leaks, according to previous reports.
Devin Ertel, Chief Information Security Officer at Menlo Security, previously said the right guardrails must be in place to enable employees' responsible use of AI.
"Governance is about providing employees with safe, secure, and responsible ways to use GenAI, and ensuring that sensitive corporate data isn't inadvertently exposed or lost," Ertel said in a previous statement.
