- About half of workers have been warned about using unapproved AI
- 88% say they have shared work-related information with public AI.
- Companies provide AI, but not the AI that workers want
New data has revealed that two in three office professionals have used artificial intelligence tools or services at work even though they knew company policy did not allow them.
A PagerDuty report found that more than half (53%) even received informal guidance or feedback telling them to stop, but many still choose to use their preferred AI services instead of workplace tools.
Nearly as many (48%) also faced formal consequences, such as official warnings or disciplinary action, proof that companies are aware of their use of permissioned AI.
Workers want to use the AI they want to use, not the other way around
Despite a clear appetite for artificial intelligence, companies intend to punish or discourage workers from using their preferred tools in favor of boosting their own selection of enterprise-grade tools. But three-quarters (77%) of workers surveyed said they believe their company’s AI restrictions are limiting their professional development, career progression and career path.
A gap is also emerging between business users and companies’ technology departments: 72% of workers and 77% of senior leaders believe they know AI better than technology teams.
In terms of tools that workers want to use, popular AI chatbots like ChatGPT, Claude, and Gemini are firm favorites. The majority (88%) have shared work-related information with public AI systems like these, 43% have uploaded emails, 40% have shared meeting notes, 34% have even entered client information, and 31% have entered sensitive business documents such as finances.
“We know the demand for AI is there… The goal of any executive today should not be to slow AI adoption, but rather to redirect that energy toward proven platforms that deliver governance and automation at scale,” said PagerDuty CTO Tim Armandpour.
While it is clear that demand exists, the current supply of tools does not meet the needs of workers. To prevent the leak of sensitive information, companies could try to observe how workers use AI and add enterprise-grade security on top of that.
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