Most Australian workers use AI tools at work and half of them save at least three hours a week, a survey has found.
But a study by software firm Freshworks found that many employees are trying out artificial intelligence software without approval from their employers in a trend that could raise privacy and security concerns.
The findings come amid concerns that AI tools could collect and use confidential corporate data, and as an expert panel looks at rules for high-risk scenarios.
Get the news with the 7NEWS app: Download today 
More than 7,000 employees were surveyed about their use of artificial intelligence software for the global AI ROI study, including 358 Australian office workers.
It found that more than two in three local employees use AI tools at least once a week, more than workers in the US and UK, and half reported saving at least three hours a week by using AI software.
The survey also found that almost half of Australian workers use unpaid AI tools like ChatGPT to boost their productivity, despite the risk of sensitive business data being used to train large language models or shared widely.
Freshworks senior vice president Sandy Overtveld said he was surprised by the popularity of AI tools among Australian workers, warning it could be a result of businesses failing to quickly set clear AI policies and standards.
“If you don’t make the decision as a company, the employees will make it for you, and it may not be the decision you want,” he said.
“Many companies would be surprised to find that their conservative delay is employees using free tools that may be doing them more harm than good.”
The survey also found Australian workers were less fussy about the quality of content produced by generative AI, but Freshworks Australia and New Zealand vice president Andrew Phillips said this could mean the need for greater guidance and training from employers .
“Rules about which tools they can and can’t use will help employees take advantage of generative AI without creating problems for the company,” he said.
“Training and policies are always catching up with new technologies.”
Australia currently lacks regulations specifically targeting the use of generative AI technology, although the government appointed 12 experts to a national advisory body in February.
The Artificial Intelligence Expert Group, which was appointed by June 30, was tasked with creating binding rules for the use of AI in high-risk settings, as well as standards for watermarking AI-generated content.
