Less than half of employers have formal guidance in place for acceptable AI use

The majority of businesses acknowledge AI’s potential risks, yet only a small portion have established comprehensive controls surrounding its use.

  • Monday, 29th July 2024 Posted 8 months ago in by Phil Alsop

This is according to new findings from Sapio Research examining both consumer and employer attitudes towards AI across Europe.

The report surveyed 800 consumers and 375 business decision makers responsible for their finance department, with respondents from the UK, Germany, France and the Netherlands.

Sapio’s Finance Pulse 2024 Report revealed that 93% of organisations are aware that AI carries potential risks, with top perceived risks including data security (43%), lack of accountability and transparency (29%) and skills gaps for safe and effective use (29%).

However, despite high awareness of its potential pitfalls, only 46% of the businesses surveyed have formal guidance in place for the acceptable use of AI for employees at work.

In addition, less than half (48%) have restrictions on what data can be inputted into AI models and tools at work and less than two in four (38%) have any strict access limitations.

Andrew White, CEO and Co-Founder of Sapio Research, commented on the findings: “AI remains a top investment priority for businesses across Europe. However, its arrival and integration into the workplace has been fast, leaving some employers ‘in the dark’ about how their staff are using it, and many struggling to put the correct measures in place to govern it.”

The majority of businesses surveyed have plans to use AI within the next two years (75%). The use of generative AI is particularly pronounced in finance (63%) roles where it aids in the likes of fraud detection, risk management, and investment strategies. Roles such as human resources (28%) and sales (19%) are amongst the lowest users currently.

“Although the possibilities of AI are seemingly endless, businesses looking to adopt it need to proceed with caution. Our research highlighted that, despite high levels of AI adoption amongst European businesses, most also reported being ‘relatively early’ in their digital transformation journey.”

“Businesses adopting AI faster than their overall digital transformation run the risk of it fast-tracking through the backdoor and being used by employees without any formal training or guidance. This can lead to serious challenges for employers down the line when it comes to employee performance, data privacy, customer satisfaction, and more.”

AlgoSec has released its annual ‘The State of Network Security Report’, providing a comprehensive and objective, vendor-agnostic analysis of...
Delinea has released its inaugural Cybersecurity and the AI Threat Landscape report. The report, based on exclusive Delinea Labs research and an...
Failure to prioritise testing and integrate generative AI tools raises concerns as agentic AI adds pressure.

CIOs 'overspend' on cloud

Posted 1 week ago by Phil Alsop
43% of CIOs say their CEOs and/or board of directors have concerns about their company’s cloud spend.
Research revealed at Coterie Connect event highlights shifting team structures, evolving skills priorities, and urgent training needed for partner...
Endava has launched its latest research report “AI and the Digital Shift: Reinventing the Business Landscape”.

3,000% surge in enterprise use of AI/ML tools

Posted 2 weeks ago by Phil Alsop
Zscaler has released the ThreatLabz 2025 AI Security Report, based on insights from more than 536 billion AI transactions processed between February...
Over one in four (28%) British small business owners have used AI tools to help run their business.