AI Compliance Violations: How You Can Avoid A Workplace Nightmare
AI compliance has been a challenging issue for company leaders for years. Major global powerhouses have even been implementing bans on AI use by employees, with several having totally restricted the use of ChatGPT. Some organizations even have strict crack downs when AI is detected in educational, healthcare, legal and media work. There are several valid reasons for the bans including ethics concerns, data leaks and cybersecurity issues.
This has created quite a conundrum for managers and professionals alike. A recent study found that 57% of employees admit to using AI in ways that may violate company policies, and only 50% say their employer’s AI guidelines are very clear. With AI touted as an innovative and necessary tool for business success in many industries, how can managers properly navigate leading teams within all of this? On top of that, how can professionals then learn to use AI tools without inadvertently violating policies or feeling insecure about even using the tools with all the restrictions in place?
Here’s what the experts have to say.
Company Leaders Must Be Super-Clear And Proactive About AI Use Policies.
Fast Company’s executive board recommends company leaders proactively “manage risks” while promoting transparency and data privacy. Internal resources allow professionals to get better acclimated with best uses of AI and there’s a standard set where there’s little to no room for misinterpretation or misunderstanding. One key example of this is companies’ use of Microsoft’s AI resources and their implementation related to employee training, feedback, and the overall purpose and benefits of AI usage in the context of job role success. Another example of this is Walmart’s transparency about its AI policies and uses.
Professionals And Company Leaders Are Encouraged To Actively Engage In Dialogue About Usage Concerns, Training, And Curiosity About Best Practices To Stay In Compliance.
If you’re fascinated by AI, find it to be a potentially great tool to help you in work-life balance, or know that it can save you time doing certain tasks, be sure to explore those AI usage options first with your manager’s approval or assistance before just trying them on the job. Almost 50 percent of professionals and managers, via a recent survey on AI training and management development, indicated that coaching would make a “meaningful difference to their work quality.” The survey also found advantages in methods of modeling and exploration where there’s active engagement with how-tos and consistent followups.
Both Parties Must Actively Engage In AI Literacy Efforts, Especially As Technology And Policies Are Updated Or Amended.
“Besides defining exactly what you mean by excellence, your workforce needs to understand that AI literacy is the first step in this process, and it will result in better job performance, higher compensation and faster career advances,” Alex Goryachev, a tech executive and AI transformation expert, wrote for Forbes. “They also need to understand the urgency of attaining this literacy and why you’re prioritizing it within and across your organization.”
When there’s advocacy for education and a push for embracing AI by understanding its benefits, it’s a win-win for both professionals and the companies they work for. Research has backed this, showing that AI literacy has had positive workplace benefits including deterring feelings of distress and fear which can lead to compliance mistakes, AI misuse, and security breaches.
Taking a proactive and collaborative approach while setting clear policies based on research and compliance solutions makes adhering to AI usage policies at work that much easier. And once people become comfortable with how AI can actually be an asset, they are more likely to actually absorb compliance practices as a norm versus something to dread.
