Our AI guilt complex

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Canadians are using AI at work in increasing numbers, and with that increase comes something else: guilt

ACCORDING TO A new survey from Employment Hero, 43 per cent of Canadians harbour a feeling of guilt about their use of AI and LLM tools to produce work, with those feelings getting stronger as you look at the younger segments of the workforce, with 56 per cent of Gen Z workers reporting “guilt about integrating these technologies into their employment routines.”

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For Employment Hero’s researchers, the results landed as a bit of a paradox. On the one hand, increasing adoption of AI is an expressed goal of the country’s AI strategy. On the other hand, people feel uncomfortable about that.

“While technological proficiency is rapidly transforming into a fundamental requirement for modern business operations, the cultural acceptance of these digital assets remains fragmented,” they wrote. “This lack of clarity has driven a substantial number of staff members to alter their workplace transparency, with 34 per cent of individuals admitting to hiding their AI use from their employers.”

“Workers already recognize AI is becoming an essential workplace skill, but many still feel they need to hide using it because they don’t have clear guidance or confidence in what’s acceptable. The organizations that will succeed won’t simply be the ones adopting AI fastest. They’ll be the ones that create a culture where employees feel empowered to use it responsibly, transparently and confidently” —Chris Pinkerton

Many, the researchers also found, have a simple strategy for concealing it — using their personal tools and accounts, beyond the reach of workplace monitoring.

“There is a real contradiction emerging for young workers,” said Employment Hero’s Kevin Fitzgerald. “They are being told that AI skills will be critical to their careers, and many are clearly enthusiastic about building those skills, but they still feel guilty when they actually use the tools.”

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One of the pressing questions for Canadian firms is how to respond to this finding. Many want to see AI used more in the office, and more thoughtfully, but are running into a dynamic where so much of its use is either being concealed or shrouded in guilt. Fitzgerald says that the answer to that is greater transparency and guidelines.

“This research shows that Canada’s challenge isn’t AI adoption, it’s AI confidence,” said Chris Pinkerton, managing director at Employment Hero Canada. “Workers already recognize AI is becoming an essential workplace skill, but many still feel they need to hide using it because they don’t have clear guidance or confidence in what’s acceptable. The organizations that will succeed won’t simply be the ones adopting AI fastest. They’ll be the ones that create a culture where employees feel empowered to use it responsibly, transparently and confidently.” Kieran Delamont