Quarter of office workers think their use of AI is unethical
Office workers might be embracing AI but a lack of clarity between tasks it should be used for versus that it is actually doing is leading to confusion. According to a survey by Auxilion just over one quarter (27%) of respondents said their use of AI would be considered unethical, with a similar number admitting they would not be capable of completing their work effectively without AI. Almost a third of respondents (31%) said they had raised concerns about the ethical use of technology in their company.
In terms of the activities that may be deemed unethical, the most cited ones were using AI tools to complete work tasks without informing a boss or supervisor (45%), and putting sensitive company or customer data into an AI tool (26%).
These actions could come down to the fact that almost half (42%) of office workers have not been provided training or guidance on how to use AI tools safely and effectively by their employer.
Concerns regarding AI usage extend beyond ethics with 48% of respondents saying they worry AI tools could eventually replace their role or aspects of their role in the future. This was felt most strongly by the younger cohort, aged 18-24 (54%).
The survey of 1,000 office workers and conducted by Censuswide on behalf of Auxilion and HPE also revealed the ways in which workers are using their saved time. While most were focusing on higher priority activities (44%), boosting productivity (42%) and performing more upskilling/training (29%) also ranked highly. On average respondents said they saved, on average, 17 workdays per year with AI – a little under three hours a week (2 hours, 54 minutes).
Some employees said they were hesitant to forfeit such time savings with one in five (22%) admitting they would consider changing jobs if their company banned AI usage. Of those using AI, 68% said it made their job easier.
Eleanor Dempsey, director of strategy, innovation and transformation, said: “There is no denying that AI tools can deliver impressive productivity gains for individuals. However, the reality is that for most organisations, widespread adoption of generative AI has yet to produce significant improvements in overall performance or the bottom line.
“All too often, AI is treated as a quick fix rather than woven into the operational fabric of the business. Without robust governance, risk management, and a clear focus on business outcomes, companies risk spending more time addressing issues in AI rather than realising the benefits. As such, the real opportunity lies in building enterprise-grade solutions that are secure, compliant, and truly transformative for the organisation as a whole.”
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