People think their privacy is at risk with the use of GenAI in the workplace

Data privacy is the biggest concern around implementing GenAI in the workplace, a new survey claims. The poll from careersinaudit.com suggests that data privacy is the biggest ethical concern people have when it comes to utilising GenAI tools in the workplace, with 53 percent of respondents citing it as the biggest risk. The survey asked audit and governance professionals about how AI is being implemented in their respective organisations, their attitudes towards the tech and what their biggest concerns are with using the tools.

While data privacy was the biggest concern among industry professionals, accountability was second, selected by 36 percent of respondents. Bias (35 percent) was also a big worry, showing trusting the technology is a huge barrier within the sector.  Transparency (32 percent) and job displacement (30 percent) were also among the most cited ethical concerns.

Despite the concerns, 41 percent of participants said their company has already implemented guidelines or conducted risk assessments related to the use of GenAI in the workplace, showing a willingness to overcome the barriers currently blocking the tech from a more prominent role.

Commenting on the survey findings, Simon Wright, Director of CareersinAudit.com and the Careers in Group job boards said: “The concerns around using GenAI tools in the workplace are completely understandable. “Whenever a new technology comes along, there is always natural scepticism, particularly when there is a lot of media speculation about jobs becoming automated. But it is very encouraging to see guidelines and processes are being implemented to harness the power of AI in the workplace, as it should be seen as something that will boost productivity, not harm it.

“Once businesses have the necessary processes in place, they should see the benefits the tools can bring such as automating time-consuming tasks and effortlessly analysing huge amounts of data.”

To view the full findings from the survey, please visit: https://www.careersinaudit.com/article/survey-results-genai-friend-or-foe [registration]