C-suite bosses far more willing to share sensitive documents with AI than employees

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Company chiefs are farming off more work to AI than their underlings, a new study suggests

Almost 40% of C-suite leaders are relying on AI to complete tasks, despite privacy and security implications

The survey, by Adobe Acrobat, explored the use of AI in workplaces across the UK

New research has demonstrated a an apparent disconnect between AI use and responsibilities concerning sensitive data.

Adobe Acrobat's “The Rise of AI Documents in the Workplace” report surveyed 2,000 UK adults on their use of AI in the workplace, claiming found that almost 75% of C-suite leaders are happy to share their work documents with AI tools for tasks that include marketing, translating, and data analysis. These are all documents that are likely to hold confidential information.

Conversely, just 20% of non-management employees are comfortable with this type of AI use, with a sizeable chunk (almost two-thirds) avoiding AI tools completely.

Wide AI adoption

The report highlighted several revelations about the adoption of AI within companies in the UK. While the 74% of C-suite leaders using AI might be a surprise, it’s just the first of several stats from the report that paint a picture of widespread AI adoption in among company chiefs.

Within that group, 37% use AI to save between 3 and 5 hours of work each week, and 35% use the technology to perform analytical tasks (which might include data).

Yet the figures concerning employees outside of the C-suite paint a different picture. Here, 59% don’t use AI tools at all. This figure is not unusual throughout the report, which illustrates that in most cases, AI use among those with “non management responsibility” is considerably lower – often more than 50% less.

Could this be due to a general reluctance to use AI, or perhaps something more specific, such as feeling AI use is banned, or its use might highlight weaknesses within a team?

Secure-suite?

The results also highlight concerns over AI use and training, with 19% of respondents highlighting a “lack of training or clear guidance.” This is something that probably needs addressing, not least from a security and privacy angle.

For IT departments and anyone tasked with information management and data security, the report’s findings make for difficult reading. The obvious conclusion to draw is that company chiefs are dropping sensitive information into AI chatbots, potentially saving time – but also risking other issues.

Adobe Acrobat’s survey found 22% of organizations adopting AI tools had data security and privacy as their biggest concerns and challenges. Similarly, 20% were concerned about accuracy and errors generated in AI outputs.