The news: Employees are underreporting their generative AI (genAI) use and feel company initiatives add to their workload without benefiting them directly.

• 45% of US employees have used AI at work without telling their supervisors, per Gusto, with Gen Zers and tech workers being the top culprits.
• Nearly a quarter (24%) believe their company profits from employees’ AI adoption, but that they personally see no financial benefits.

Hazy disclosures: Employees generally aren’t fully transparent about how much or how often they use AI.

• 24% mention to employers whether AI helped them, but don’t go into detail about how or where.
• Another 24% adjust their AI use confessions depending on the situation and context, and 19% don’t disclose it at all.

Clarifying when and how AI use is permitted, and what data can be entered into genAI tools, could help increase disclosure confidence.

Adding to the mission: While 36% deem AI essential to their job performance and use it regularly, many aren’t interested in contributing to their company’s broader AI missions.

• 17% think those initiatives ask employees to do more work without extra compensation or bonuses, while others say they aren’t getting enough training or resources.
• Two-thirds are paying out of pocket for AI tools at work, which could make them less likely to hop on board with corporate initiatives.

Our take: Offer incentives for AI use and encourage disclosure through establishing clear policies to help maximize AI initiatives and build a culture of honesty.

Setting up company-specific prompts for employee use and offering free access to vetted tools will help motivate workers to use the right tools in the right way, protecting company data and maximizing AI use to increase productivity.