One in three businesses have no rules for AI chatbot use, report finds

More than a third of businesses have no rules for artificial intelligence (AI) chatbot use, despite risks to proprietary data, according to new research.

Tech.co’s Impact of Technology on the Workplace Report found that 35% of businesses do not regulate how employees use AI chatbots at work, highlighting a particularly relaxed attitude towards a potentially disruptive technology.

The report, based on a survey of 1,036 business leaders, explored how emerging technologies might impact business security.

It found that the greatest risk generative AI poses to companies is the exposure of proprietary data.

When employees input company or client data into a chatbot, they may be inadvertently revealing identifiable information to the company that owns the AI tool.

While some organisations have embraced the technology, others are responding with caution.

11% of businesses have completely banned the use of AI chatbots.

Although this may be the safest approach, it also eliminates any potential benefits from generative AI tools.

The report revealed that 61% of business leaders say AI has improved their work-life balance.

Overall, the percentage of businesses using AI has increased from 66% to 85% year-on-year.

Among those that do regulate usage, 32% require approval for specific chatbots before employees can use them, 27% restrict the type of information that can be input, and 21% prevent certain job roles from accessing them.

As AI becomes more popular in the workplace, the need for clear regulations around its use continues to grow.

Jack Turner, editor of Tech.co, said: “The results from our latest Tech.co research has proved rather alarming, and shows that many businesses are unaware of the dangers of using AI unchecked.

“These pitfalls could be minimal, from creating some embarrassing AI-generated copy, right up to opening themselves up to cyber attacks. 

“With the vast majority of businesses now using AI in some capacity (85%), companies need to educate themselves, and their employees, on the perils of using such a powerful tool without enforced guidelines.”