Author: Frederik Anseel, Professor of management at the University of New South Wales in Sydney
Polls show that the number of people using AI tools at work has doubled in two years, to about 45 percent of workers. No wonder ChatGPT is the fifth busiest website in the world. But you wouldn’t say that in the workplace. Colleagues remain remarkably quiet about their AI use. You don’t see ChatGPT reports or prompts flying back and forth, no enthusiastic conversations about the time savings that AI brings. No, AI use remains conspicuously under the radar. Why? Wouldn’t you expect a certain amount of pride from people who are on board with the latest technology?
The hidden use of AI is one of the main headaches for companies – if they are aware of it at all. AI covert use is one of the fundamental obstacles we must overcome to make a real leap in productivity in our economy. There are three reasons why people prefer to remain silent.
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Paradoxically, the first reason is productivity gains. Many people find that difficult tasks that used to take them hours take only minutes with ChatGPT. Answering a few emails, generating a report or analysis or making a summary…. Added up over a week, there is a time savings of several hours. But who gets those time savings? For now, it’s the individual employees. But what if the employer gets wind of the time savings? That consideration makes many people hesitate. The danger is that companies foot the bill and either give people more work or cut jobs. You already see a cut in jobs in consulting, marketing agencies, technology companies and law firms worldwide.
The second reason is the threatening tone of companies about privacy and security. Many people are confused about what is allowed and what is not. They choose to be safe. ChatGPT is eagerly used in the private sphere. Many people prefer the freedom, joy of free chatbots at home to the regulation of their businesses.
A recent series of studies shows how complex the psychological problem is. In companies, the recommendation is, “Be transparent and always clearly state where you have used AI. But research shows that those who are transparent just lose trust. People find a colleague less trustworthy if he confesses that he has used ChatGPT.
AI adoption is a psychological rather than a technological problem. Companies seeking productivity gains must first gain the trust of their employees. These do not necessarily distrust AI technology, but rather how the employer and colleagues will use it. People want assurance that their time gains will not be exploited, that they will not be punished if they experiment with AI, and that they will not be looked at crookedly if they use AI to do their jobs better. We urgently need to bring AI stealth out of the shadows.
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