{"id":74351,"date":"2025-08-17T05:28:16","date_gmt":"2025-08-17T05:28:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/74351\/"},"modified":"2025-08-17T05:28:16","modified_gmt":"2025-08-17T05:28:16","slug":"many-australians-secretly-use-ai-at-work-a-new-report-shows-clearer-rules-could-reduce-shadow-ai","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/74351\/","title":{"rendered":"Many Australians secretly use AI at work, a new report shows. Clearer rules could reduce \u2018shadow AI\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"

Australian workers are secretly using generative artificial intelligence (Gen AI) tools \u2013 without knowledge or approval from their boss, a new report<\/a> shows. <\/p>\n

The \u201cOur Gen AI Transition: Implications for Work and Skills\u201d report<\/a> from the federal government\u2019s Jobs and Skills Australia points to several studies, showing between 21%<\/a> to 27%<\/a> of workers (particularly in white collar industries) use AI behind their manager\u2019s back.<\/p>\n

Why do some people still hide it? The report says people commonly said they: <\/p>\n

\u201cfeel that using AI is cheating\u201d
\nhave a \u201cfear of being seen as lazy\u201d
\nand a \u201cfear of being seen as less competent\u201d.<\/p>\n

What\u2019s most striking is this rise in unapproved \u201cshadow use\u201d of AI is happening even as the federal treasurer<\/a> and Productivity Commission urge Australians to make the most of AI<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The new report results highlight gaps in how we govern AI use at work, leaving workers and employers in the dark about the right thing to do.<\/p>\n

As I\u2019ve seen in my work \u2013 both as a legal researcher looking at AI governance and as a practising lawyer \u2013 there are some jobs where the rules for using AI at work change as soon as you cross a state border within Australia.<\/p>\n

Risks and benefits of AI \u2018shadow use\u2019<\/p>\n

The 124-page Jobs and Skills Australia report<\/a> covers many issues, including early and uneven adoption of AI, how AI could help in future work and how it could affect job availability. <\/p>\n

Among its most interesting findings concerned workers using AI in secret \u2013 which is not always a bad thing. The report found those using AI in the shadows are sometimes hidden leaders, \u201cdriving bottom-up innovation in some sectors\u201d. <\/p>\n

However, it also comes with serious risks.<\/p>\n

Worker-led \u2018shadow use\u2019 is an important part of adoption to date. A significant portion of employees are using Gen AI tools independently, often without employer oversight, indicating grassroots enthusiasm but also raising governance and risk concerns.<\/p>\n

The report recommends harnessing this early adoption and experimentation, but warns:<\/p>\n

In the absence of clear governance, shadow use may proliferate. This informal experimentation, while a source of innovation, can also fragment practices that are hard to scale or integrate later. It also increases risks around data security, accountability and compliance, and inconsistent outcomes.<\/p>\n

Real-world risks from AI failures<\/p>\n

The report calls for national stewardship of Australia\u2019s Gen AI transition through a coordinated national framework, centralised capability, and a whole-of-population boost in digital and AI skills.<\/p>\n

This mirrors my own research, showing Australia\u2019s AI legal framework has blind spots<\/a>, and our systems of knowledge, from law to legal reporting<\/a>, need a fundamental rethink. <\/p>\n

Even in some professions where clearer rules have emerged, too often it\u2019s come after serious failures.<\/p>\n

In Victoria, a child protection worker entered sensitive details into ChatGPT about a court case concerning sexual offences against a young child. The Victorian information commissioner has banned<\/a> the state\u2019s child protection staff from using AI tools until November 2026.<\/p>\n

Lawyers have also been found to misuse AI, from the United States<\/a> and United Kingdom<\/a> to Australia<\/a>. <\/p>\n

Yet another example \u2013 involving misleading information created by AI for a Melbourne murder case \u2013 was reported just yesterday<\/a>.<\/p>\n

But even for lawyers, the rules are patchy and differ from state to state. (The Federal Court<\/a> is among those still developing its rules.)<\/p>\n

For example, a lawyer in New South Wales<\/a> is now clearly not allowed to use<\/a> AI to generate the content of an affidavit, including \u201caltering, embellishing, strengthening, diluting or rephrasing a deponent\u2019s evidence\u201d.<\/p>\n

However, no other state or territory has adopted this position as clearly.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

This article is part of The Conversation\u2019s series on jobs in the age of AI<\/a>. Leading experts examine what AI means for workers at different career stages, how AI is reshaping our economy \u2013 and what you can do to prepare.<\/p>\n

Clearer rules at work and as a nation<\/p>\n

Right now, using AI at work lies in a governance grey zone. Most organisations are running without clear policies, risk assessments or legal safeguards. Even if everyone\u2019s doing it, the first one caught out will face the consequences.<\/p>\n

In my view, national uniform legislation<\/a> for AI would be preferable. After all, the AI technology we\u2019re using is the same, whether you\u2019re in New South Wales or the Northern Territory \u2013 and AI knows no physical borders<\/a>. But that\u2019s not looking likely<\/a> yet. <\/p>\n

If employers don\u2019t want workers using AI in secret, what can they do? If there are obvious risks, start by giving workers clearer policies and training.<\/p>\n

One example is what the legal profession is doing now (in some states) to give clear, written guidance. While it\u2019s not perfect, it\u2019s a step in the right direction. <\/p>\n

But it\u2019s still arguably not good enough, especially because the rules aren\u2019t the same nationally. <\/p>\n

We need more proactive national AI governance<\/a> \u2013 with clearer policies, training, ethical guidelines, a risk-based approach and compliance monitoring \u2013 to clarify the position for both workers and employers.<\/p>\n

Without a national AI governance policy, employers are being left to navigate a fragmented and inconsistent regulatory minefield, courting breaches at every turn. <\/p>\n

Meanwhile, the very workers who could be at the forefront of our AI transformation may be driven to use AI in secret, fearing they will be judged as lazy cheats.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Australian workers are secretly using generative artificial intelligence (Gen AI) tools \u2013 without knowledge or approval from their…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":74352,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[20],"tags":[256,254,255,64,63,105],"class_list":{"0":"post-74351","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-artificial-intelligence","8":"tag-ai","9":"tag-artificial-intelligence","10":"tag-artificialintelligence","11":"tag-au","12":"tag-australia","13":"tag-technology"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/74351","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=74351"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/74351\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/74352"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=74351"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=74351"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=74351"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}