- About half of workers received warnings about using unapproved AI
- 88% say they have shared information related to their work with public AI
- Companies are offering AI, but not what workers want
New data has revealed that two in three office professionals have used AI tools or services at work even though they knew it wasn’t allowed by company policy.
A report from PagerDuty reveals that more than half (53%) have even received informal advice or feedback telling them to stop, but many still choose to use their favorite AI services over workplace tools.
Almost as many (48%) also faced formal consequences, such as official warnings or disciplinary action – proof that companies are aware of authorized AI use.
Workers want to use the AI they want to use – not the other way around
Despite a clear appetite for artificial intelligence, companies are intent on punishing or discouraging workers from using their preferred tools in favor of their own selection of enterprise-grade tools. But three-quarters (77%) of workers surveyed said they believe their company’s restrictions on AI are limiting their professional development, career progression and skills journey.
A gap is also growing between business users and the company’s technical departments: 72% of workers and 77% of senior managers believe they know AI better than technical teams.
When it comes to tools workers want to use, popular AI chatbots like ChatGPT, Claude, and Gemini are favorites. Most (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 customer information, and 31% have entered sensitive business documents like finances.
“We know the demand for AI is there…The goal of any leader today should not be to slow down AI adoption, but to redirect that energy toward proven platforms that deliver governance and automation at scale,” said Tim Armandpour, CTO of PagerDuty.
Although it is clear that the demand exists, the current supply of tools does not meet the needs of workers. To avoid disclosing sensitive information, companies could instead try to observe how workers use AI and add enterprise-grade security.
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