AI Polarises the Workforce as Calls for Regulations Rise

Despite businesses being keen to invest in AI technologies, workforces are concerned that they do not have the skillset or the guidance to use it responsibly.

According to research conducted by Veritas, 2 in 5 businesses offer zero guidance on AI in the workplace, despite half of office workers using it on a weekly basis. As a result, employees are calling for clear policies on how to utilise generative AI (Gen AI) to ‘level the playing field’ commercially and on a global scale.

Whilst Veritas’ research mostly focuses on the UK, it does draw insights from several other countries around the world. The research speaks to the wider global landscape of businesses being uncertain over their AI strategies - opening up their workforces to greater risks as a result.

Enterprise guidance needed to harness AI safely

Veritas found that 37% of office workers in the UK alone are using AI to do their research, 43% using it to write emails and 17% harnessing Gen AI to write company reports.

The power of AI is already having a revolutionary impact on the workplace, with the capacity to offer businesses in key industries access to improved efficiencies and clearer datasets. However, workforces are struggling to keep pace.

Hays conducted a survey in 2023 finding that nearly one third of employees felt they did not have the right skills to make the best use of AI technology. Alongside worker anxieties and security concerns, the general consensus was that enterprises did not feel ready for AI advancement.

Likewise, Veritas finds that two-fifths of office workers admit they or a colleague has put sensitive information into a public Gen AI platform. Worryingly, the majority (60%) do not recognise that doing this could result in significant data breaches, leading companies to experience data privacy compliance issues.

With the number of workers utilising Gen AI increasing, Veritas highlights a massive shift in the workplace that is revolutionising the way work is done. In fact, a fifth (19%) are using Gen AI tools (such as ChatGPT) at work every single day. 

Unlocking the full potential of AI

Veritas data ultimately reveals widespread frustrations within the workforce as a result of limited guidance over AI tools, with 49% calling for mandatory policies on the technology. This is because businesses who fail to offer guidance are not only putting their operations at risk, but they are also missing out on the potential value that AI could bring to their workplace developments.

Likewise, 85% of those surveyed by Veritas state that there should be national or international regulation surrounding AI. This finding comes during a time of huge global conversations concerning how AI can be regulated moving forward, with the upcoming vote on the EU AI Act and the recent decisions by US and UK governments to debut their own AI task forces to keep the technology running safely.

“Without guidance from leaders on how or if to utilise Gen AI, some employees are using it in ways that put their organisations at risk, even as others hesitate to use it at all and resent their colleagues for doing so,” says Sonya Duffin, Solutions Lead at Veritas. “Organisations could face regulatory compliance violations or miss out on opportunities to increase efficiency across their entire workforce. 

“Both issues can be resolved with effective Gen AI guidelines and policies on what’s OK and what’s not. The message is clear: thoughtfully develop and clearly communicate guidelines and policies on the appropriate use of generative AI and combine that with the right data compliance and governance toolset to monitor and manage their implementation and ongoing enforcement.”

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