Most UK employees use AI at work without permission, Microsoft survey finds

Nearly three in four employees in the United Kingdom used artificial intelligence (AI) tools under the radar at work, according to a new surveyfrom Microsoft.

The study, conducted by British market researcher Censuswide, asked over 2,000 employees across different sectors and company sizes about how they use AI at work.

Seventy-one per cent of the respondents said they turned to “shadow AI,” or tools that were not approved by their company.

Over 40 per cent of workers who used shadow tools did so because they were familiar with them and used them already in their personal lives.

Employees used unapproved AI systems to respond to emails and other workplace communications, draft reports and presentations, and sometimes carry out finance-related tasks, the survey found.

AI tools should be built for the workplace, ‘not just the living room’

The use of unauthorised AI systems poses a security risk because sensitive company or customer data “may not be protected effectively,” Microsoft said about the survey. It also leaves companies at greater risk of data leaks, accusations of regulatory non-compliance, and cyber attacks.

Among survey respondents who used AI tools without permission, only 30 per cent said they were concerned about their company or customers’ privacy because of the data they input into these AI tools.

“Businesses must ensure the AI tools in use are built for the workplace, not just the living room,” Darren Hardman, Microsoft UK and Ireland’s chief executive, said in a statement.

“Only enterprise-grade AI delivers the functionality that employees want, wrapped in the privacy and security every organisation demands,” he added.

Overall, employees who used unauthorised AI tools saved just under eight hours of work per week, mostly in administrative tasks, the survey found.

The report cited estimates showing that AI saves 12.1 billion working hours across the UK every year, equivalent to approximately £208 billion (€238.5 billion) of workers’ time.

In the survey, employees said they use the extra time saved by AI to increase their work/life balance, learn new skills at work, and focus on more meaningful tasks.