Ask Work It: Should you disclose the use of AI at work?

Key Concepts:

• AI adoption in the workplace
• Resistance to AI due to personal preference, security concerns, or lack of understanding
• Disclosure of AI usage
• AI as a tool for efficiency, not laziness
• Data-driven justification for AI adoption
• AI training and government subsidies

Understanding the Boss's Concerns

• Krishnan's boss is "old school" and doesn't understand AI, leading to resistance.
• The first step is to understand the why behind the boss's reluctance. Is it security concerns, lack of conviction, or simply unfamiliarity?
• Observe the boss's behavior towards AI in both professional and personal contexts. Does the boss avoid technology in general?
• "Try to sense what the boss does not like about AI."

Assessing the Company Culture

• Investigate how colleagues are using AI. Are they open about it, or are they discreet due to the boss's attitude?
• Krishnan might be the only one considering disclosure, while others are hesitant.
• "Find out from them how do they get by. Uh do they even use AI? What are some of the things that maybe uh they had tried to to do to justify to the boss about the use of AI?"

Gradual Introduction and Data-Driven Justification

• Involve the boss in work discussions where AI can be subtly introduced as a tool for generating options.
• The goal is to make the boss feel that AI is not a threat but a useful aid.
• Share data and use cases to demonstrate AI's efficiency gains.
• Quantify the benefits: "data in terms of like uh day man hours save... The time that saved you something that you need maybe one day to do you can do it within 1 hour."
• Present factual data to make the conversation less intimidating.

Leveraging Training and Subsidies

• Explore and share information about subsidies for AI training.
• Frame AI training as an investment in the team's capabilities, supported by government initiatives.
• Emphasize the application of learned skills after the training.
• "So that uh as part of staff training uh the boss could be seen as investing in the team to grow the team's capability and then look there's government support as well to learn AI. So after that learning then must apply ma. So that's where you so let's have it use it use it in our our team."

Disclosure Policies and Reputation

• Some companies, like news organizations, have disclosure policies for AI usage due to reputational concerns.
• AI-generated content cannot be taken "wholesale as reporting that this is the truth."
• Human oversight and validation are still crucial.

Addressing the "Laziness" Perception

• The association between AI and laziness should be dispelled.
• AI assists with foundational work, but human input is still needed for checking, validating, and conceptualizing.
• "AI helps us to work in a different way right. We are using AI to give us uh of do the foundational work and it we need to come in to check to validate to to choose to conceptualize further about what can we use from the AI platform."

Conclusion

Krishnan should approach the situation with a combination of understanding, data-driven justification, and subtle introduction of AI. Understanding the boss's concerns and the company culture is crucial. Highlighting the efficiency gains and leveraging training opportunities can help overcome resistance and promote AI adoption. The key is to position AI as a tool that enhances human capabilities rather than replacing them.