Over half of workers don’t trust ChatGPT in the workplace

55% of business workers don’t trust working with another business who uses ChatGPT or a similar AI chatbot in the workplace, according to research.

The research published by Indusface surveyed 2,000 workers across varying job levels and sectors to find that the advertising, legal, and arts & media industries are the more frequent users of ChatGPT.

This follows a 1,700% increase in search for AI since the launch of OpenAI’s product last November, a chatbot which has attracted over 100 million users.

Despite the hesitation expressed by survey respondents, the range of industries and uses of ChatGPT hint that workers are gradually integrating AI into their day to day chores.

ChatGPT seeps its way into the workplace

The advertising industry ranks as the top user of ChatGPT in the office, with almost two fifths (39%) of respondents using the bot. 11% admitted using it more than once a week and only 5% said they would never use it.

In second place, the legal industry has 38% of its workforce using the chatbot, with 27% of respondents unveiling they most commonly use it to write up reports.

The growing use of ChatGPT’s in the legal industry suggests the sector is gradually letting go of legacy systems and embracing automation.

This is not devoid of risks. As Venky Sundar, Founder and President of Indusface explains, “Legal clauses have a lot of subjectivity and it is always better to get these vetted by an expert.”

“The second risk is when you share proprietary information into ChatGPT and there’s always a risk that this data is available for the general public, and you may lose your IP. Never ask ChatGPT for documentation on proprietary documents including product roadmaps, patents, and so on,” warns Sundar.

These risks have already put employees in compromising positions with their employers. Earlier this year, Samsung workers unwittingly leaked top secret data whilst using ChatGPT at work.

Out of all the industries in the top 10, art workers are applying AI the most frequently – 13% say they are using it at least once a week.

Should ChatGPT be banned at work?

Although increased number of workers are starting to use ChatGPT at work, the levels of distrust remain high. This may be leading C-Suite executives to ponder if the chatbot should be banned completely.

“The maturity level of addressing the data and ownership of trust is still not well defined and the businesses are right in not trusting it completely as they are worried about the use –or more appropriately – or misuse of their data,” warns Sundar.

Statistics show that banning ChatGPT completely might not be a sensibledecision either. According to a study by Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Stanford University, customer support staff equipped with an AI tool reported 14% more customer issues were resolved each hour on average.

Experts report that AI can also aid businesses with demand prediction, streamlining HR processes, writing and editing.

“Like every technology, there will be early adopters, but these people are tech savvy and a minority,” predicts Sundar. “For everyone to adopt it, it will take its own time.”