A survey of 500 employed US adults found that 38% have entered at least one type of work information into a personal AI account their employer does not control. This includes internal documents, financial or sales figures, customer or client information, and employee and HR information.

Legal Consequences

Entering confidential company information into a personal AI account can be against the law under the California Uniform Trade Secrets Act and the federal Defend Trade Secrets Act. However, only 35.6% of workers surveyed knew this, with 44.4% unsure and 14% believing it is at most a company policy issue.

The survey also found that 57.6% of workers use AI tools for work, with 36.8% doing so at least partly through a personal account. Meanwhile, only 35.8% of workers said their employer has a clear, written policy on what work information may be shared with AI tools.

Implications

The findings suggest that AI adoption in many workplaces is outpacing both formal governance and employee understanding of applicable policies and law. For employers, the numbers argue that an unwritten AI policy is now a measurable liability, with two-thirds of employees either having no rules to follow or not knowing the rules exist.

Original reporting: El Paso News (HLL/CB) — read the source article.