Fear of ‘cheating’ drives lack of AI use in businesses

Workers are deciding against using Artificial Intelligence (AI) because of concerns they will be accused of ‘cheating’ by employers, new research has revealed.

In a survey of businesses, more than two-thirds said they do not use AI applications in the workplace, with 27% saying it is because they worry it may be seen as dishonest.

The research was carried out by technology services business Lifeline IT to find out about IT habits in the workplace and the technical challenges companies face. Following on from the research, Lifeline IT is offering specialist advice and consultancy on AI usage, in particular the security and data management implications for companies.

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In the UK, it is estimated that around one in six organisations (432,000) have adopted at least one AI technology. However, according to government figures, when it comes to day-to-day usage, half of adults had not used AI at all and only 45% had used it a little.1

Commenting on the survey findings, Lifeline IT founder and director Adam Woolf said: “Although AI is the technology of the future and is prolific in certain industry sectors, there is still some nervousness as people are unsure of how it works.

“My advice to businesses and their employees is familiarise yourself with platforms such as Chat GPT, Microsoft Copilot and Google’s Gemini, and see what capabilities they have. Here at Lifeline IT, we provide specialist advice on these systems, especially what the potential security and data risks may be. The key is to never just rely on AI – in the same way you wouldn’t just copy and paste from a Google search.”

The Lifeline IT survey also asked businesses about the IT tools they use. Despite video conferencing being commonplace, nearly a third of those questioned said they struggled using platforms such as Microsoft Teams and Zoom. A further 24% said they found creative tools challenging (such as Adobe), with 56% saying they had received no training on these systems.

When it comes to daily IT issues, it was passwords that cause employees the most problems (26%), followed by internet troubles (25%). People also said that from a

technology perspective, they feel most secure working from home (47%), followed by their place of work (34%)

Said Lifeline IT’s co-founder and director Daniel Mitchell: “We were quite shocked by people’s response to home versus office working. Whilst your own home can feel private and secure because you can keep physical intruders out, from an IT perspective, it can be anything but safe. People often don’t have the same security systems at home as they do at work, so it makes an ideal breeding ground for cyber criminals to work their destructive magic.”

The research, which Lifeline IT carries out annually with businesses ranging from large corporations through to SMEs, sole traders and individuals, also revealed:

· 70% said IT is very important to their business/daily work, with 29% saying it is quite important

· 97% said it is important that their IT provider understands their business/what their work involves

· 63% often spend personal time doing work, with 87% using their personal devices (phone, laptop etc) to do this

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