55% of workers have used unapproved generative AI in the workplace

A recent study by Salesforce of over 14,000 full-time employees - representing companies of a variety of sizes and sectors - found that globally, 55% of workers have used unapproved generative AI at work, and 40% have used banned AI tools at work.

49% of US workers have used banned AI tools at work

It’s time to explore these tools knowledgably, and instead of banning them, to better understand them - their promises and pitfalls - and to leverage them in safe and responsible ways.

First, have a look at this post for a primer on AI Literacy, explaining how generative AI has been trained, etc., where we walk through an overview with examples. Next, pop back here and let’s talk practicalities.

AI-enabled tools are proliferating in the workplace

Courtesy of the folks at Here. Now. AI. (nice newsletter!) here’s a quick update of the chatbots available today (literally):

ChatGPT: created by OpenAI. The market leader by adoption. Offers a voice chat mode that tech experts say is superior to others.
- (JLJ note: please be careful speaking into chatbots for now. Too many hackers are grabbing voices for nefarious uses.)

Microsoft Copilot: available standalone or integrated into the Microsoft 365 suite of tools (Word, Excel, Powerpoint, etc.). Uses the same Open AI engine, so content should be very similar to ChatGPT, but users like the direct implementation in 365.
- (JLJ note: two AiGg folks have tried Copilot, wasted hours and gave up… it’s early days. We recommend giving it time.)
Google Gemini (until very recently called Google Bard): based on a proprietary Google-designed AI system. Comparable to ChatGPT but with impressive early reviews. Gemini can also access the internet for up-to-date information.
- (JLJ note: Google has noted Gemini will keep information entered into it for years, by default. Consider anything entered into a public chatbot is part of the public domain.)
Claude is a ChatGPT competitor created by Anthropic. Claude is notable for its emphasis on safety and greater accuracy.
- (JLJ note: in my last blog, Building AI Literacy for the future, I tried to get Claude to summarize a book for me, and it wouldn’t - not the way that ChatGPT did with no boundaries. Compare the screen shots below to see the emphasis on safety in action.)

And here’s ChatGPT with the very same prompt - just seconds later:

Immediately you can see there are differences in chatbots and how they work. You’ll need to experiment - or ask your employees to experiment - to find the tool best for your organization. Again, they’re using them anyway, you might want to have an informed opinion for what you use for your brand here, at the most basic level.

Three areas of adoption

When humans and machines work together, machines can expand human’s abilities by, 1) amplifying cognitive strengths; 2) interacting (for example with customers); 3) embodying human skills to expand our physical capabilities (robot or “cobot” performing repetitive, heavy lifting to free up human to perform detail work that requires dexterity and human judgment.)

We like to refer to this work together as “augmented intelligence” vs. “artificial intelligence,” and highly recommend digging in and using tools for first drafts, mood boards, and brainstorming so you can free your mind to dream, be more creative, and more strategic. And we’ve crafted some best practices for content creators to guide and protect you along the way.

While we believe there are many uses for AI in business today, three areas of adoption are accelerating as we write this.

Early adopters - the Marketers - have jumped in

Marketers - often the first adopters of new technologies in any organization (and often responsible for ‘shadow IT’)- are all over using AI for content marketing. Marketers are using AI models and tools in various ways to improve their marketing strategies and campaigns.

Today, many marketers are using AI to automate routine tasks, such as email marketing, social media posting, and ad targeting. By automating these tasks, marketers can free up time to focus on more strategic activities and improve the efficiency of their marketing efforts.

As I mentioned before, using AI to help brainstorm content ideas, improve language in headlines, and make content more tuned to a particular audience are all easily done in partnership with AI tools, especially ubiquitous chatbots.

Marketers are using AI to analyze large amounts of data to gain insights into consumer behavior, preferences, and trends. This can help marketers make data-driven decisions about segmenting their campaigns, including targeting, messaging, and timing.

They’re also using AI to personalize their marketing efforts. AI-powered tools can analyze data about individual consumers, such as their browsing history, purchase history, and social media activity, and use that information to personalize marketing messages and offers to each individual. This requires marketing platforms that have built-in AI capabilities, but the race to continue to develop them is speeding up.

Finally, and perhaps most familiarly, AI is also being used in marketing to improve customer service and support. AI-powered chatbots and virtual assistants are getting better at providing personalized assistance to customers and help resolve issues more quickly and efficiently, improving the overall customer experience.

Overall, AI is becoming an increasingly important tool for marketers (and CX professionals) as they seek to improve the effectiveness and efficiency of their marketing efforts and stay ahead of the competition.

How developers are using AI models

And then for Developers, writing code in a vacuum (and Googling for support) is quickly becoming a thing of the past. Developers are using AI for coding in various ways, including as an AI-powered code assistant, a code generator, and a code reviewer.

As an AI-powered code assistant, AI can help developers with tasks such as code completion, syntax checking, and bug detection. Engineers can ask the AI tool for suggestions on how to complete a line of code or ask it to review their code for any syntax errors or bugs.

As a code generator, AI can create code snippets or entire programs based on a given set of instructions or specifications. Developers can describe the functionality they want in natural language, and tools like ChatGPT can generate code that meets those specifications.

Finally, as a code reviewer, ChatGPT and others like it can analyze code for quality, readability, and best practices. Developers can ask AI tools to provide feedback on their code, and AI tools can highlight areas where improvements can be made.

In terms of programming languages, AI tools can work with many different languages, including Python, JavaScript, Java, C++, and many others. These tools have the ability to understand natural language and generate code based on that understanding, regardless of the programming language used.

Large organizations, including Goldman Sachs, have begun experimenting with AI in engineering. Marco Argenti, Goldman’s innovation chief who joined the company from Amazon, noted:

“I’ve been in technology probably almost four decades or so, and this is one of the biggest disruptions I’ve ever seen,” Argenti said. “Probably comparable to the internet, apps, the cloud — it’s that order of magnitude.”

But a reminder, anything entered into a public chatbot should be considered part of the public domain. Data governance is critical when educating employees and your leaders about the use of AI.

HR - our people / platform cautionary tale

HR professionals have been using AI-enabled platforms for years, with resume-scanning software used (especially in larger organizations) to take at least a first pass at helping review resumes from job applicants. But these systems are not above reproach. In an article on AI screening systems just today, the BBC reported:

“In one case, one user who'd been screened out submitted the same application but tweaked the birthdate to make themselves younger. With this change, they landed an interview.
At another company, an AI resume screener had been trained on CVs of employees already at the firm, giving people extra marks if they listed "baseball" or "basketball" – hobbies that were linked to more successful staff, often men. Those who mentioned "softball" – typically women – were downgraded.”

In fact, their use has become a bit of a “game the system” play for keyword stuffing, etc. And now, with the advent of public betas of AI models like ChatGPT and others, applicants are using AI to write cover letters, tune resumes and more, instantly, for job postings.

And organizations are using AI for layoffs… A November, 2022 Capterra survey of 300 US human resources leaders found that 98% of respondents planned to use software and algorithms to help them make any layoff decisions in 2023.

But the newest uses of AI in HR can be considered the most challenging from both a leadership transparency and an employee trust perspective…

Meet employee monitoring in action

Many organizations are now using AI to monitor employees - especially large global brands. JP Morgan, for example, has used an internal company system that provides data on employees' workplace activities, including how much time they spend on Zoom calls and what they do on their company-provided cell phones,

While US companies are generally allowed to monitor employees, the legality of some practices has been called into question. In early February last year, three Democratic lawmakers introduced the Stop Spying Bosses Act, which would prohibit businesses from collecting "sensitive data" on workers and require them to make "timely and public disclosures" about what data they're collecting. The act has not been voted on.

Meanwhile, there are AI platform organizations like Aware and Erudit who listen to employee sentiment via Slack, Microsoft Teams, Zoom and “more.”

Erudit’s AI tool “In one unique platform, see real-time insights and analysis on how teams are doing. Track over 35 culture indicators without having to survey.”

Imagine being unaware of your organization’s use of monitoring software - especially in so-called “safe” channels where employees often talk more personally and casually. Slack and Teams, for example, are the water coolers and kitchens of the hybrid workforce.

Aware’s AI tool offers “One secure location for your enterprise’s unstructured collaboration data”

Aware’s AI tool will monitor uploaded documents and files, email, and other business repositories for content and will automatically trigger responses.

As leaders, we believe your employees must be (quite literally) made aware of these tools before they’re implemented, even when content is anonymized. (AI tools can be especially good at de-anonymizing data, too!)

Truth, trust and transparency meet the need for training

Your employees are using AI. You should be leveraging AI tools wherever possible to build competency in the tools. And practice truth, trust and transparency as you look to AI to support the growth of your business. Your Board, your Leadership Team and your Employees need training. And guidelines, guardrails and playbooks.

Resources from AIGG on your AI Journey of Understanding and Literacy

We can help. Check out our Resources section where you’ll find free checklists covering the adoption of AI tools and identifying legal and operational risks, along with drop-in HR Handbook policies for your team to review, augment and approve.

Need training or specific support in building AI Literacy? We have proven workshops that deliver immediate value. And, we’re a little different. We’re not approaching AI from a tech perspective. We’re approaching it from a safe, ethical and responsible use perspective. Because AI technology is here to stay, and can work brilliantly for your organization.

We have attorneys, anthropologists and business leaders to support you as you develop your Strategic AI Use Statements that can guide your organization’s use of the tools available to you. And we have bespoke educational workshops available to you as you explore and build your playbooks, develop your guidelines and guardrails as your adoption (and potential risk management) options grow.

Connect with us for more information, to get your free AI Tools Adoption Checklist, Legal and Operational Issues List, HR Handbook policy, or to schedule a workshop to learn more about how to make AI work safely for you. We are here for you.