How to Use AI at Work Responsibly

Artificial intelligence (AI) has quickly become part of the modern workplace. Tools like ChatGPT, Microsoft Copilot, Claude, Gemini, and other AI-powered assistants are giving employees and employers new ways to complete everyday tasks, find information, create content, analyze data, and improve productivity.

As AI becomes more accessible, however, businesses often find themselves asking the question, “How do we use AI responsibly?”

Using AI effectively isn't simply about finding more tasks that can be automated. Employers should also consider the risks associated with AI, determine when human judgment is necessary, establish guidelines for employees, and make sure sensitive business information is appropriately protected.

Here is everything you need to know about AI at work.

AI at Work: A New Trend

AI is no longer something businesses are simply preparing to encounter in the future. For many workers, it is already becoming part of their daily routines.

Employees can now use generative AI tools to draft an email, summarize a document, brainstorm ideas, research a topic, prepare for a meeting, analyze information, and complete a growing number of other workplace tasks.

However, AI adoption can look very different from one workplace to another. This means employers shouldn't necessarily assume that AI is either widely used or completely absent from their organization. Employees may be experimenting with readily available AI tools independently, while other employees may have little experience with them.

As these tools continue to evolve, organizations have an opportunity to determine where AI makes sense for their workforce and establish expectations for using it responsibly.

Responsible Uses of AI at Work

There are numerous ways businesses can incorporate AI into their daily operations.

A key to responsible AI adoption is identifying tasks where AI can support employees rather than replace necessary human judgment.

Lower-risk uses of AI may include brainstorming, summarizing non-sensitive information, creating initial drafts, organizing information, and assisting with repetitive administrative tasks.

Higher-stakes activities may require substantially more oversight. An AI-generated response, for example, shouldn't automatically be assumed to be accurate simply because it sounds authoritative. 

How Are Employees Using AI at Work?

Below are some examples of commonly accepted uses of AI by employees:

• Drafting and Editing: Creating a first draft of emails, reports, memos, presentations, job descriptions, and other workplace content.
• Brainstorming: Generating ideas for projects, campaigns, presentations, meetings, or solutions to a problem.
• Summarizing Information / Note-Taking: Turning lengthy, non-sensitive documents or meeting notes into shorter summaries and key takeaways.
• Research: Gathering preliminary information about a topic or identifying questions that warrant additional research.
• Organizing Information: Categorizing notes, creating outlines, developing checklists, or turning unstructured information into a more useful format.
• Meeting Preparation: Developing agendas, questions, talking points, or other materials before a meeting.
• Data Analysis: Helping employees identify patterns or insights within appropriate datasets, subject to the organization's privacy and security requirements.
• Repetitive Tasks: Assisting with routine administrative work that would otherwise take employees away from higher-value responsibilities.

AI can be especially useful as a starting point. Instead of asking AI to make a final decision, an employee might use it to generate an initial draft, organize their thoughts, or identify possibilities that they can then evaluate.

How Are Employers Using AI at Work?

Given the higher level of control over the business and added administrative responsibility, there are many additional ways that employers can leverage AI, as opposed to employees.

However, those additional uses of AI require additional oversight, judgment, and caution.

Depending on the business and technology involved, employers may use AI to:

• Automate repetitive administrative processes
• Analyze business data and identify trends
• Assist customer service teams
• Support sales and marketing activities
• Improve internal knowledge management
• Summarize meetings and communications
• Assist with scheduling and planning
• Create first drafts of internal materials
• Support research and information gathering
• Improve existing business workflows

Before incorporating AI into a business process, employers should consider what the AI will do, what information it will access, what could happen if it produces an incorrect result, and where a human needs to remain involved.

The objective shouldn't necessarily be to use AI everywhere. Instead, employers can identify situations where AI provides a practical benefit while establishing appropriate safeguards for its use.

AI Policies for Companies

As employees gain access to more AI tools, organizations should consider establishing an AI policy for the workplace.

An AI policy gives employees a common set of expectations for when and how artificial intelligence can be used at work. Without clear guidance, employees may be left to make these decisions individually.

A company AI policy should address questions such as:

• Which AI tools are employees permitted to use?
• What workplace tasks can AI be used for?
• What information can and cannot be entered into an AI tool?
• How should confidential, proprietary, customer, or employee information be handled?
• When must employees review or verify AI-generated information?
• Are there tasks or decisions for which AI should not be used?
• When should employees disclose that AI was used?
• Who should employees contact if they have questions about an AI tool or use case?
• How will the organization review and update its AI practices as the technology changes?

AI at Work: Practical Uses, Risks, and Responsible Adoption

AI presents businesses with significant opportunities, but adopting AI responsibly requires more than simply giving employees access to new technology.

Organizations need to determine where AI can genuinely improve productivity, where human review and judgment remain essential, how confidential and sensitive information should be protected, and what expectations employees should follow when using these tools.

These are some of the questions we explore in our AI at Work: Practical Uses, Risks, and Responsible Adoption SmartTalks webinar.

The session takes a practical look at responsible AI adoption and walks through:

• Practical, lower-risk ways AI can support everyday workplace tasks
• Situations where AI requires human review and oversight
• Risks associated with sharing confidential or sensitive information with AI tools
• Questions business leaders should ask when establishing responsible AI practices

Whether your organization is already using AI extensively or is only beginning to explore its potential, establishing a thoughtful approach now can help your business take advantage of AI while managing the risks that come with it.

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