Using AI at work without getting into trouble
AI can save you hours at work, but pasting the wrong thing into the wrong tool can cause real trouble. Here’s what’s fine, what to keep out, and why.
Video transcript
AI can save you hours at work. But paste the wrong thing into the wrong tool, and it could land you in real trouble. Here’s how to stay safe.
In a 2024 survey by Microsoft and LinkedIn, nearly four in five people using AI at work brought their own tools. That’s exactly why the rules matter.
So start with your organisation’s AI policy. Stick to the tools and accounts your work has approved, because work versions often come with stronger data protections. Ask IT what yours covers.
As a rule, rewording an email, summarising public information and brainstorming are fine. Keep out personal details about customers or colleagues, confidential plans and figures, passwords, and anything you couldn’t share publicly.
In the UK, information about people is protected by UK GDPR. So one careless paste could put your organisation on the wrong side of the law, even if you meant well.
And you’re accountable for what you send. AI can sound confident and still be wrong, so check the facts, figures and names, and be open when AI has helped.
Get the benefits without the trouble. The full guide below has a quick checklist and a prompt to try.
In 30 seconds
- Check your organisation’s AI policy and use the tools and accounts your work has approved.
- Keep out personal information, confidential plans and figures, passwords, and anything you couldn’t share publicly.
- You’re accountable for what you send, so check the output and be open about using AI.
It’s ten to five, the report is due, and pasting the whole thing into an Jargon busterAI assistant: A chat app such as ChatGPT, Claude or Gemini that answers questions and does tasks you describe in plain language. would save you an hour. Before you do, it’s worth knowing what’s fine, what isn’t, and why.
You wouldn’t be the only one tempted. In a 2024 Microsoft and LinkedIn survey, 78% of people using AI at work brought their own tools. That’s exactly why your organisation’s rules matter.
Start with the rules
Check your organisation’s AI policy first. Look in the staff handbook or on the intranet, or ask your manager. It should say which tools you can use and what you can put into them.
Then stick to the tools your work has approved, and sign in with your work account, not a personal one. Work versions often come with stronger data protections, such as a promise not to use what you type to Jargon busterTraining: The stage where AI learns, by finding patterns in a huge number of examples. the AI. Ask your IT team what yours includes.
No policy yet? Ask before you start, and treat anything about real people or the business as private.
What to keep out
| Usually fine | Keep it out |
|---|---|
| Rewording an email with no names or private details in it | Personal information about customers or colleagues, such as contact details, health or pay |
| Summarising a public report or web page | Confidential plans or figures, such as unannounced results, deals or prices |
| Brainstorming ideas, headlines or interview questions | Passwords, PINs and security codes |
| Explaining a term, a process or a spreadsheet formula | Anything you couldn’t share publicly, or wouldn’t want a competitor to see |
Not sure? Leave it out, or swap the real details for placeholders such as “Client A” or “£X”. You’ll still get the help, without sharing the specifics.
Personal information is protected by Jargon busterUK GDPR: The UK law on personal data. It sets how organisations must collect, use and protect information about people.. Pasting a customer’s details into a tool your work hasn’t approved could put your organisation on the wrong side of the law, even if you meant well. The UK’s data regulator, the Information Commissioner’s Office, has more guidance.
Check it, and be open about it
You’re accountable for what you send, not the AI. It can sound sure and still be wrong, which is called a Jargon busterHallucination: When AI states something false as if it were true, because it predicts plausible words rather than checking facts., so check facts, figures, names and tone before anything goes out under your name.
Be open about using it, too. If AI helped with something important, say so. Colleagues then know what to look at closely, and nobody feels misled.
A checklist before you paste
- Check the policyFind your organisation’s AI rules, or ask your manager or IT team.
- Use approved toolsSign in with your work account, not a personal one.
- Strip out private detailsRemove names, personal details, passwords and confidential figures.
- Check what comes backRead it properly: facts, figures, names and tone.
- Be openSay when AI helped with something that matters.
Rewrite this email so it’s clear, polite and under 150 words. I’ve replaced names and figures with placeholders in capitals, such as CLIENT and AMOUNT. Keep those exactly as they are. Here’s the email: [paste your email]
For the bigger picture, read AI in your workplace. And to stay safe with AI outside work too, find out whether AI is safe to use.
Check yourself
3 quick questions nothing is savedSources (1)
- 2024 Work Trend IndexMicrosoft and LinkedIn, May 2024
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