Nearly a third of employees use AI at work

Artificial intelligence (AI) is already being used by nearly a third (29%) of employees, according to new research.

A study by independent professional services firm LawDeb found that one in 10 people are using AI for large parts of their work.

The survey of 2,008 UK employees also revealed that men are more likely to use AI, with 34% doing so compared with 25% of women. Additionally, 14% of men are using it for a large part of their job, while half that proportion (7%) of women said the same.

Overall, the study showed 25 to 34-year-old men based in London were most likely to be supportive of AI.

However, more than a fifth (22%) of respondents said that while they would be comfortable using AI, they are not yet doing so. Additionally, nearly two in five (37%) of respondents said they wouldn’t feel comfortable using AI at all.

Reasons for not using AI include not knowing how (19%), believing it’s unethical (14%), or thinking they’d get in trouble (6%). Younger staff were found to be more inclined to support AI, but also the most likely to oppose its use for ethical reasons (19%).

The research showed those aged 25 to 34 years old are most comfortable with AI (62%), while regionally those in London are most likely to be pro-AI (59%).

Senior staff were the found to be the biggest users of AI, with C-suite (27%) and senior managers (23%) are most likely to be doing so for large parts of their job.

Patrick Davis, head of UK corporate secretarial services (CSS) at LawDeb, said: “The future of AI in the workplace is inevitable, whether usage is personal or professional, or the extent is small or large. In light of this, it is the responsibility of boards and their technology, cyber, risk and governance teams to provide  guidance and policies for how to navigate this use in a way that maintains integrity and creativity for both individuals and companies within a secure systems work environment. Otherwise, employees left to ‘fly blind’ risk getting caught up in ethical, regulatory, and legal quandaries.

“Most boards don’t – and simply can’t – have experts on everything, and with the complexities of cyber and AI, it’s hard to keep on top of best practice. Knowing when to involve relevant experts in board discussions is critical.”

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