One in three employees who use GenAI for work pay for it themselves

• Nearly a third (31%) of UK employees who use GenAI for work access tools which they personally pay for;
• Organisations need to invest in their own GenAI tools or risk their employees using unsanctioned applications;
• Only 47% of GenAI users trust the UK government to regulate the use of GenAI effectively and 50% trust businesses and organisations to use GenAI tools responsibly;
• Four fifths (82%) of employees who have used GenAI for work believe that within the next two years, the technology will likely make their current job easier, while 69% anticipate it will make their job more enjoyable.

Nearly a third of UK employees who use Generative AI (GenAI) tools for work pay for it from their own pockets, according to new research from Deloitte.

The study found that 31% of UK employees who use GenAI for work access publicly available tools they personally pay for, while only a fifth (22%) use in-house GenAI tools that are either developed by their company or commissioned from third-party developers. Nearly half (48%) of the UK employees who use the technology report using free publicly available GenAI tools.

Almost one in five GenAI users (17%) think that ‘a great deal’ of employees in the UK use GenAI without their employer’s explicit approval, and an additional 45% of users believe that ‘a fair amount’ of employees in the UK do this. When asked about the main reasons for this, 40% believe that employees do not see any risks in doing so, while 31% think employees doubt that the company can check anyway. 

Lorraine Barnes, Deloitte’s UK GenAI lead, said: “UK workers are taking matters into their own hands when it comes to keeping up to speed with the latest GenAI advances. With employees paying for the privilege of using the latest GenAI tools off their own back, it’s clear that there is a need for organisations to invest in their own GenAI solutions.

“To create more accurate, reliable results and mitigate GenAI risks, organisations must prioritise ethical considerations, integrate them into the development process, conduct regular audits, and engage with stakeholders to gather diverse perspectives. Building features that are intuitive and transparent can help feed into the technology. The bottom line is - if organisations do not start building a strategy to use GenAI now, they risk falling behind their employees who will start building their own standards.” 

Trusting organisations to use GenAI 

The survey also asked respondents for their views on the subject of trust in and regulation by government and businesses. It found that 47% of users trust the government to regulate the use of GenAI and 50% trust businesses and organisations to use GenAI tools responsibly.

Respondents tend to trust the results produced by GenAI more in scenarios that could be perceived as lower risk than those perceived as higher risk. Over half (57%) of UK GenAI users say they would trust the results of GenAI for providing them with medical advice to direct them to the right medical care, but a slightly lower percentage (49%) would trust doctors using GenAI to assist with their medical diagnosis.

When it comes to recommending financial products, 63% of UK users say they would trust the results of GenAI, but only 56% would trust banks using it to assess their eligibility to obtain financial credit. A similar percentage (64%) of users also say they would trust the results of GenAI for recommending insurance companies based on their household or personal claims history, but a lower percentage (57%) would trust insurance companies using it to determine the cost of their insurance policy by taking their financial risk profile into account.

Key areas of concern associated with GenAI include the use of deepfakes (69%) and the misuse of personal data (68%). This is followed by the spread of misinformation or dissemination of fake news (68%), an increase in security risks (67%) and making decisions based on inaccurate results (67%).

GenAI will make jobs easier

Four fifths (82%) of UK employees who have used GenAI for work believe that within the next two years, the technology will likely make their current job easier, while 69% anticipate it will make their job more enjoyable.

About three-quarters of employees who have used GenAI for work report a strong or general agreement on several key points including being keen to develop skills for better application of GenAI tools (77%) and believing that effective use of these tools will help maintain their career relevance (74%). Additionally 72% report being excited about the opportunities GenAI can provide in their job.

Stacey Winters, Deloitte’s GenAI market lead for Europe, said: “As more people and organisations transform the way they work and live with GenAI, they are also becoming more conscious of its potential and limitations.

“Governing the technology will be essential in helping to manage the risks involved in using GenAI for our day-to-day work. The benefits of GenAI are clear and to boost competitive edge, businesses should encourage usage but in a safe and secure environment, rather than shy away from it. Effective governance and controls not only enable you to comply with regulation, but also enable creativity across your organisation in a way that aligns with your ethics and values.

“GenAI deployments should incorporate appropriate guardrails and be accompanied with a thorough training and development programme.”

ENDS

Notes to editors:

About the research

Deloitte’s Trust in Generative AI, is a European survey assessing levels of trust in, and readiness to use, GenAI from the perspective of 30,252 consumers and employees in Belgium, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Netherlands, Poland, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and the UK.

The survey was conducted between 28 June - 12 July 2024, including 1,864 respondents from the UK who are aware of GenAI. Of these, 25% have used it in a work capacity (n=468). Reported bases are weighted unless otherwise specified.