UK employees eager for AI but concerned about lack of policies

A recent report from Coveo has highlighted a growing desire among UK employees to utilise artificial intelligence (AI) to enhance efficiency and improve their work experience. The findings are part of Coveo's fourth annual EX Industry Report, which surveyed 4,000 employees in the United States and the United Kingdom, examining how generative AI (GenAI) is reshaping expectations and experiences in the digital workplace.

According to the report, 42% of UK respondents believe that GenAI can help them find information faster and provide more personalised intranet services. This, they say, would save time and reduce frustration in their daily workflows. However, the report also notes significant challenges and concerns that need to be addressed for the technology to be fully integrated into the workplace.

One major issue is the lack of appropriate tools to succeed in their roles, which 32% of UK respondents cited as a source of burnout and frustration. In addition, 26% reported that their workplaces do not have IT, HR, or Legal policies on GenAI to protect employees, customers, and intellectual property. This gap poses risks related to the responsible use of AI and fact-checking, especially given that 25% of respondents have experienced hallucinations (incorrect or misleading answers) when using GenAI tools.

Patrick Martin, Executive Vice President of Global Customer Experience and General Manager of Knowledge and Service at Coveo, commented on the findings: "With trends like quiet cutting permeating today's workforce, it's no surprise employees are worried if they have the best and most current information to do their jobs effectively. The lack of trust and guardrails for using AI tools can lead to increased inefficiencies and risk as employees scour internal systems or use potentially untrustworthy tools. In this study, we found that employees are excited about the role GenAI can play in empowering employees with a knowledge tool to gather relevant information quickly. But GenAI is not a bolt-on; enterprises need to consider the full infrastructure needed to deliver accurate and trustworthy answers."

The report also found that 28% of UK respondents trust generated answers from approved tools, but 13% reported not having time to fact-check such answers. Furthermore, a quarter of respondents admitted to encountering hallucinations using GenAI tools, while 26% did not have specific AI policies in place in their workplace.

Interestingly, the adoption and trust in GenAI tools follow a divided line between different levels of the organisational hierarchy. Nearly 60% of respondents from both countries indicated a lack of awareness or absence of GenAI policies in their workplace, with the highest awareness seen among executive and senior management (75%). Junior staff members were the least likely to be informed about AI regulations.

The report also highlights that the current use of non-permitted AI tools is considerable, especially among IT professionals (24%) and executives or software developers (21%). These statistics underline the necessity for clearer rules and understanding of the risks associated with public generative tools, which could potentially misuse enterprise information.

Moreover, the survey showed a strong correlation between the lack of appropriate tools and employee dissatisfaction, with 34% reporting frustration and burnout due to insufficient tools. Furthermore, 30% felt that inadequate information availability led to a decrease in confidence regarding the quality of their work and information sharing.

The report goes on to say that employees desire reliable AI tools they can trust, with more than one-third (36%) always fact-checking the generated answers. However, while there is a preference for enterprise-approved tools, the necessity for constant verification remains, emphasising the need for trustworthy AI systems.