Almost half of workers are concealing their use of artificial intelligence tools at work, primarily out of concern they will be perceived as cutting corners rather than fear of losing their jobs, according to new research from Slingshot.
The Digital Work Trends Report found 45 per cent of employees do not disclose when they use AI tools in their work. While 47 per cent of employers believe workers hide AI use due to job security concerns, only 24 per cent of employees cited this as a reason.
Instead, 34 per cent of employees said they worry using AI will be seen as cutting corners, and 27 per cent fear being judged for it, according to the report. Gen Z workers aged 18 to 28 expressed the strongest concerns, with 47 per cent saying they hide AI use to avoid judgment and 44 per cent fearing it would be perceived as taking shortcuts.
Voluntary adoption despite lack of mandates
The report found 87 per cent of employees are using AI tools voluntarily, even though only 28 per cent of companies require employees to use them. Two-thirds of employees said they are curious about using AI and see value in incorporating it into their workflows.
Nearly half of employees who do not disclose their AI use said they simply do not feel the need to share this information. This includes workers who view AI as part of their normal workflow or who work at companies without official AI policies.
This trend was most pronounced among older workers. Among millennials aged 29 to 44, 44 per cent do not disclose AI use because they do not see a need to do so, compared with 57 per cent of Gen X employees aged 45 to 60 and 47 per cent of baby boomers aged 61 and older.
AI use extends beyond the workplace
One-third of employees said they use AI more frequently at work than at home, while 31 per cent use it equally in both settings and 22 per cent use it more in their personal lives than at work.
Gen Z workers were more likely to use AI in their personal lives than at the office, at 36 per cent. Baby boomers showed the opposite pattern, with 46 per cent using AI more at work. Millennials and Gen X workers reported roughly equal use at work and home, at 42 per cent and 35 per cent respectively.
Managers using AI for strategic tasks
Employees primarily use AI to check or improve their work, at 54 per cent, and to draft emails, reports and other written content, at 52 per cent. Managers and senior executives reported using AI for more strategic purposes, including analyzing team and business data, at 56 per cent, conducting research, at 52 per cent, and managing team priorities, at 47 per cent.
Companies that use AI strategically reported significant time savings, with 68 per cent saying they have saved a week or more in their go-to-market process.
“A company going ‘all in on AI’ doesn’t translate to an immediate difference in how employees do their jobs—there are many operational and culture shifts that need to happen to unlock its full potential and drive business results,” said Dean Guida, founder of Slingshot. “Beyond the technical work to support this, a big part of creating an AI-powered organization is to establish clear AI policies, promote AI transparency and invest in continued employee AI education and training.”
The research was conducted by market research firm Dynata on behalf of Slingshot and surveyed 500 adults across all 50 U.S. states and four age groups. Slingshot is a work management platform from software company Infragistics.
