Love it or hate it, AI is increasingly becoming an integral part of the way we work.
So like many collaborators, you started using it for your missions.
That’s great, unless you’re not clear on what defines acceptable and unacceptable uses of AI for your job and what specific tools your employer has approved or prohibited.
Here’s how to get a better idea of all this and minimize potential problems, even if your employer hasn’t been very good at explaining things.
Generative AI can be impressive – for example, helping you find data or make connections you might otherwise have missed; and testing work products for defects or design errors.
At the same time, it is also highly imperfect and prone to what are called “hallucinations” – defined by IBM as “a phenomenon in which (it) perceives patterns or objects that are non-existent or imperceptible to human observers, thereby creating absurd or completely inaccurate results.”
In other words, it can produce hot waste.
An AI tool may be excused by its proponents for these hallucinations, but you won’t be.
That’s why, as part of your job, “never rely blindly on AI,” said Dave Walton, an employer-side attorney who co-chairs Fisher Phillips’ AI, Data and Analytics practice group.
Instead, consider it a first aid. “Generative AI is the best thing in the world to take you from zero to pretty good in 60 seconds,” said Niloy Ray, co-head of the AI practice at employer law firm Littler Mendelson.
But, he added, “‘Not bad’ is rarely the standard by which you work.” »
It’s up to you to check everything you integrate AI into your projects. And be transparent with your boss whenever you use it for this purpose.
It’s difficult to say with certainty how many employers have comprehensive AI policies in place, although those numbers are likely increasing.
Some unscientific surveys suggest that this is a lower share than the high percentages of employees who say they are already using AI.
“Self-directed use of AI has reached 65%, creating both innovation and risk as employees explore the tools before seeking formal advice,” according to the American Management Association, which this year surveyed 1,365 professionals from various industries in 29 countries.
Meanwhile, a recent Littler survey of 349 professionals from U.S. companies of varying sizes and industries found that 38% of companies said they had created a specific policy for their employees’ use of AI; Another 13% said they had developed guidelines; and 19% said they were enshrining the use of AI in pre-existing workplace policies.
So, before you do anything else, check the AI policies and guidelines your employer has in place.
If designed well, these policies should provide a clear idea of the company’s guiding principles for usage, a clear set of dos and don’ts, and a list of which AI tools you are allowed to use and under what conditions. And it should clearly state what disciplinary action could result if you abuse it. (Here is a sample from Fisher Phillips to give you an idea.)
Certain types of businesses may prohibit the use of AI (for example, a defense contractor), while others (like banking and finance companies) may urge extreme caution or simply don’t have the appetite for it, Ray said.
And other employers can license an AI tool that will be custom designed for the company’s use or create their own in-house AI tool, Walton said. In this case, the use of publicly available third-party tools may be discouraged, restricted or prohibited.
If your employer doesn’t have a dedicated AI policy, review your company’s other policies that apply to all of your work efforts, including with AI, Ray suggested.
These may include policies intended to protect your employer’s confidential information, trade secrets or intellectual property – and, relatedly, its cybersecurity and privacy policies.
As a general rule, if you use a third-party tool like Chat GPT and a version of it used by people outside your company, never share confidential data or personally identifiable information, Walton said.
Turn off the feature that lets the AI tool train on your inputs and configure it so the tool doesn’t remember your queries, he suggested.
Ray compares the safety of using a publicly available AI tool to public parking. There is a greater chance that someone will be able to access your car than if you parked in your own garage. “The ability to intercept data is much higher and you don’t know who has access to it,” he said.
More broadly, he added, recognize that while AI may give you new tools to do your job, it doesn’t change your obligations as an employee.
“Ultimately, you want to do what a conscientious, ethical employee would do on any given day,” Ray noted.