In the modern business world, efficiency and innovation are crucial. But while many companies are hesitant to use artificial intelligence (AI), their employees are proactively leading the way. A new study by Microsoft and LinkedIn shows that 71 per cent of employees in Germany use AI tools in the workplace without them being officially provided. This trend is known as "Bring your own AI" (BYOAI) and harbours both opportunities and risks.
Why are so many employees turning to unofficial AI tools? According to a survey by Microsoft and the career network LinkedIn, the main reason is the high workload. 68 per cent of respondents said they struggled with the speed and volume of their work.
A programmer at a large technology company in Silicon Valley confirmed this development.
"The use of AI programming assistants is not permitted here. But in practice, everyone uses them,"
he told Handelsblatt. The work pressure is so high that without the help of AI tools, the work would be almost impossible to manage.
The use of unauthorised digital tools entails considerable risks. The use of so-called "shadow AI", i.e. the use of explicitly prohibited AI tools, is particularly problematic. Companies such as Samsung, for example, have banned the use of ChatGPT and similar AI text robots after an employee shared sensitive source code with ChatGPT. The cyber security experts at PlanB. warn of the serious security risks that can arise from the supposedly uncontrolled or prohibited use of AI. Company information such as source code, access or company data quickly ends up with unauthorised recipients, in the public network or with the AI provider, who may use the data for other purposes, such as training language models. Conversely, incorrect or unwanted results are produced if AI systems are used incorrectly. A further increase in the threat situation arises in the area of "authentic" untargeted phishing or targeted spear phishing. The quality of AI-generated phishing will continue to increase with increasingly human results through the integration of publicly available information to personalise communication. The risk therefore continues to increase.
"The use of AI services will continue to increase in the future. Companies need to start looking at organisational and technical measures. Especially in light of the fact that implementing effective technical measures requires a lot of effort and the requirements of the EU AI Act are looming. We are dealing with the entire spectrum: from inventory and legal assessment to the topics of access management to data and language models, the expansion of vulnerability management for new threats such as prompt jailbreaks or poisoning attacks on training data and the medium-term introduction of an AI management system. In addition to the controlled use of AI systems, companies face the challenge of establishing phishing-resistant authentication measures."
The role of companies: From hesitation to action
The survey results and the real experiences of employees clearly show that companies urgently need to take action. Satya Nadella, CEO of Microsoft, emphasised: "Our latest study shows that every company has the opportunity to use this technology." Companies should recognise the needs of their employees and provide them with the necessary tools to avoid a parallel world of non-approved tools.
An effective introduction of AI technologies, such as Microsoft 365 Copilot, requires not only technical expertise, but also a strategic approach. PlanB. can support this transformation process as a service provider and partner.
"Data and its quality are the foundations of optimal AI utilisation, which is why a healthy AI strategy combines the handling of company data with long-term efficiency gains for AI users," explains Florian Schmid, Solution Expert Artificial Intelligence & Data Science at PlanB. "We understand the complexity of AI integration and provide our customers with a clear and realistic roadmap to seamlessly integrate Microsoft 365 Copilot into their existing processes."
The use of AI in the workplace is no longer a distant vision, but already a reality. Companies need to actively shape this development instead of ignoring or prohibiting it. By creating clear guidelines and secure framework conditions, they can reap the benefits of AI while minimising the risks. Employees are ready for the future of work - it is now up to companies to provide them with the right tools and support. PlanB. is at your side as an experienced partner to successfully shape this change and realise the full potential of AI technologies such as Microsoft 365 Copilot.