Is your team using AI safely?

HOW TO LEAD RESPONSIBLE USE OF AI IN YOUR WORKPLACE.

AI is transforming the workplace by delivering significant productivity gains for employees, allowing them focus on more meaningful and engaging tasks. According to the Freshworks 2024 Global AI Workplace Report, more than half of employees are using some form of AI-enhanced software at work.

Surveyed employees estimated that AI is saving them approximately 3 hours and 47 minutes each week, which over the course of a year, amounts to nearly 24 business days. Common use cases for AI include: summarising reports, recommending action steps, managing repetitive tasks, among other efficiencies.

YOUR TEAM IS ALREADY USING AI

The benefits are clear: AI can cut workloads by nearly four hours a week, allowing teams to focus on more strategic activities. However, most adoption is silent, which raises questions about oversight and security.

The research from Freshworks found almost half of employee were using unpaid AI tools, such as ChatGPT, despite the risk that sensitive business data could be used to train large language models or shared widely.

One reason why employees are not disclosing their use of AI is because many companies have yet to introduce training and policies around the proper use of AI.

With this new, disruptive and rapidly changing technology, many leaders are yet to drive significant and valuable adoption of AI.

This means that the productivity gains that can be realised with AI fall short of the opportunity.

SILENT ADOPTION IS A RISK TO YOUR BUSINESS

When your business doesn’t openly embrace AI, but employees choose to use it anyway, your business could be exposed:



1. Data Security Breaches: Employees using unauthorised AI tools may inadvertently input sensitive company data, potentially exposing it to external parties or using it to train public AI models.
2. Compliance Violations: Unregulated AI use could lead to breaches of industry regulations or data protection laws, resulting in hefty fines and reputational damage.
3. Inconsistent Output Quality: Without proper guidelines, the quality and consistency of AI-generated work may vary widely, potentially affecting your company's standards and reputation.
4. Ethical Concerns: Unchecked AI use might lead to ethical issues, such as bias in decision-making or the creation of misleading content, which could harm your company's integrity.
5. Dependency and Skill Erosion: Over-reliance on AI without proper training could lead to a decline in critical thinking and problem-solving skills among your workforce.
6. Lack of Oversight: Without visibility into AI usage, management cannot effectively monitor its impact on productivity, costs, or strategic alignment.
7. Missed Opportunities: Silent adoption means your company isn't strategically leveraging AI's full potential, potentially falling behind competitors who are implementing it more effectively.
   

EMBRACING AND LEADING AI RESPONSIBLY

The challenge for management is to harness the benefits of AI now, while ensuring responsible use.

Here are some tips to how you can lead this change:

• Set Clear Guidelines: Define how AI should be used in your company. Policies should cover data security and ensure compliance with industry standards.
• Foster Open Dialogue: Create an environment where employees feel comfortable discussing their AI use. This transparency can help identify both risks and opportunities.
• Enhance Skills: Offer training to boost your team's AI capabilities. This empowers them to use AI effectively and responsibly.
• Evaluate Impact: Regularly review how AI affects your business. Use metrics like productivity and work quality to assess its value.

By taking these steps, you can guide your organisation towards safe and effective AI integration, unlocking its potential while safeguarding your business.

Clear AI is supporting Australian businesses as they adopt AI, from general awareness training through to strategy and implementation.

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