Zoho Corporation has today released the results of its study titled “Data Privacy and Use of Generative Artificial Intelligence,” conducted in collaboration with CRM Essentials. The study, which surveyed 1,000 employees in the U.S. from various industries and company sizes, provides a detailed insight into the use of Generative Artificial Intelligence (GenAI) in the workplace, employees’ perceptions of this technology, and their willingness to share personal data to improve it.
Adoption of GenAI: A Mixed Picture
Despite the growing presence of GenAI in the workplace, widespread adoption remains low. Only 24% of respondents use GenAI daily, while 37% claim to have never used it, with the main reason being the lack of mandate in their companies, according to 55% of the latter. Among employees who do use GenAI, 40% indicate that it has significantly increased their productivity, and 17% consider it indispensable.
Common Uses of GenAI in the Workplace
Employees primarily use GenAI for repetitive and supportive tasks. Among the most common daily use cases are quickly finding answers to work-related questions (19.9%), creating content for emails (15.3%), and creating videos (12.2%). Despite its utility, 52.4% of respondents report paying for at least one premium GenAI service, while 41.2% do not use any, and 6.4% plan to do so in the coming months.
The study also reveals that only 18% of respondents use GenAI exclusively for work purposes, while 32.5% use it mainly for work, and 22.9% for both work and personal reasons.
Employee Sentiments towards GenAI
Employees’ perception of GenAI significantly improves with frequent use. Among daily users, 78% believe that GenAI will have a positive impact on their work experience, compared to only 13% of non-users. Additionally, 56% of daily users are comfortable sharing personal data with GenAI, versus 12% of non-users.
Despite these positive sentiments, there is an underlying concern. 46% of respondents believe that GenAI poses a threat to their jobs, and 26% see it as a necessary evil. Furthermore, 74% believe that government legislation is needed to regulate the use of employee data in AI training, and 75% want regulations for intellectual property rights in AI-generated content creation.
Privacy Concerns
Although employees are aware of privacy risks, concerns are not overwhelming. 42% of respondents believe that GenAI’s impact on their jobs will be positive, while 20% see it as negative. Only 30% feel comfortable sharing personal data with GenAI. Among non-users, 55% do not use GenAI because they consider it unnecessary for their work, and 18% cite privacy concerns as the main reason. Specific concerns include sharing financial information (18.6%), personal identification data (16.8%), and location data (12.2%).
Conclusion
Zoho’s study highlights that while employees benefit significantly from GenAI, their reluctance is more based on lack of experience than privacy concerns. Raju Vegesna, Zoho’s Chief Evangelist, emphasizes the importance of gradual integration and employee training in the safe use of GenAI to reduce risks and ensure lasting success in the digital workplace.
Other Key Observations:
– Convenience vs. Privacy: The majority of respondents (67%) prioritize convenience over data protection, despite privacy risks associated with AI.
– Perception of GenAI: 46% of respondents see GenAI as a threat to their jobs, while 26% view it as a necessary evil.
– Need for Legislation: 74% believe legislation is needed for the use of employee data in AI, and 75% advocate for regulations on intellectual property rights in AI content creation.
– Performance Evaluation: 39.3% prefer their performance to be evaluated by humans, while 12.2% are comfortable with AI analyzing their performance.
This study highlights the balance that employees must strike between leveraging the benefits of GenAI and protecting their privacy in an increasingly digitized work environment.