Number of Canadians using generative AI at work and school is growing, posing potential risks: survey

The ChatGPT app is displayed on an iPhone in New York, Thursday, May 18, 2023. A former OpenAI board member says it's the interactive nature of ChatGPT that has made artificial intelligence accessible to a wide audience in a meaningful way at a transformative moment for AI. THE CANADIAN PRESS/AP-Richard Drew

A recent survey conducted by KPMG reveals that Canadians are experiencing increased productivity using generative AI, but there are concerns that some users may be entering sensitive information into AI prompts.

Of 5,140 Canadians involved in the survey, 1,052 (20 per cent) of them acknowledged that they have used generative AI at work and school mostly to generate ideas, write essays, and create presentations.

Respondents have reported that using generative AI boosted productivity and quality, however, in doing so, they were engaged in behavior that could potentially create risks for their employers.

"It's absolutely critical for organizations to have clear processes and controls to prevent employees from entering sensitive information into generative AI prompts or relying on false or misleading material generated by AI," Zoe Willis or KPMG said in a news release published on Tuesday. ”This starts with clearly defined policies that educate your employees on the use of these tools. Organizational guardrails are essential to ensure compliance with privacy laws, client agreements, and professional standards.

According to the survey, many users are say they’re experiencing increased productivity using generative AI, but there are concerns about entering sensitive information into AI prompts by some users.

The survey findings show that 23 per cent of working professionals said they are entering information about their employer (including its name) into AI prompts. Some respondents (10 per cent) have even put their private financial data while 15 per cent said they’ve entered other proprietary information, such as human resources or supply chain data.

The KPMG survey highlights the necessity of “strong” organizational control, policies, and employee training to avoid entering sensitive information without verification.

Given that the AI-generated data is considered “misleading” or “inaccurate” only about half of users (49 per cent) said every time they check the accuracy of the content generated by AI platforms while 46 per cent check sometimes.

In order to measure how, when, and why Canadians are using generative AI, KPMG says it created the “Generative AI Adoption Index” which shows Canada’s Index stands at 11.9.

This highlights that the technology has quickly intergrated into the lives of workers and students, but the overall adoption rate remains relatively low. A score of 100 indicates mass adoption.

When it comes to how often Canadians use generative AI, the survey findings suggest that 18 per cent use it daily or for every task, 34 per cent use the technology a few times per week, and 26 per cent a few times per month.

Slightly more than half of the users reported that generative AI tools save them up to five hours per week, while 67 per cent indicated that the time saved by using these tools has enabled them to take on additional work that they would not have been able to handle otherwise. Moreover, 65 per cent stated that using generative AI is crucial for managing their workloads.

The survey also found that Canadians using generative AI are not always fully transparent about when they’re using the technology, with nearly two-thirds claiming AI-generated content as their own original work all or part of the time.

According to the survey, 75 per cent of users said they are “deeply” concerned about misleading or fake information generated by AI. Despite this, 70 per cent said they intend to continue using these tools, regardless of the associated risks and controversy.

"Responsible AI is the foundation of every successful generative AI strategy. For organizations, that strategy should also include: assessing and implementing the right technology; ensuring data is relevant, recent, and accurate; and training and empowering employees to use AI responsibly. Organizations that make these investments will gain a real competitive advantage and be able to monetize their data,” KPMG partner Ven Adamov said in a news release.

Reporting for this story was paid for through The Afghan Journalists in Residence Project funded by Meta.