Nearly half of workers say they’ve used banned AI tools at work, survey finds

Amid rapid adoption of artificial intelligence tools at work, 45% of workers say they’ve used banned AI tools on the job, according to an Aug. 5 report from Anagram, a security training company.

In addition, 40% said they’d knowingly violate company policy to finish a task quicker, and 58% said they’ve posted sensitive data into AI tools, including client records, financial data and internal documents.

“Our survey makes it clear: employees are willing to trade compliance for convenience,” Harley Sugarman, founder and CEO of Anagram, said in a statement. “That should be a wake-up call.”

Nearly 7 in 10 knowledge work-based companies use AI tools for work, according to an OwlLabs survey. However, only a quarter of workers said their employers are strongly supportive and supply tools, training and clear guidelines about workplace AI use.

In the Anagram survey of 500 full-time U.S. employees, 78% said they’re already using AI tools such as ChatGPT, Gemini or CoPilot at work, even when their companies don’t have clear policies.

Among the 45% who have used banned tools at work, 26% said they had done so within the past week, and 12% said the past month. Although many workers said they feel guilty about risky AI use, they still want to use it to complete their work.

Only half of employees believe their employers’ AI policies are “very clear,” and more than half said they may use AI in ways that violate company policies, according to a Resume Now report. HR teams can help ensure AI policies are clear, enforceable and aligned with company goals.