Workers feel using AI is ‘cheating’, hide AI use from employers

Workplace AI use has created a paradox in which employee experience and employer perception differ enormously, but leaders hold the key to addressing this disconnect.

Australian workers don’t want to admit their reliance on AI, despite topping global rates of resulting productivity, quality and skill acquisition – and they’re hiding it from employers.

According to Employment Hero’s Paradox at Work report, employees are feeling shameful or guilty about their professional use of AI, with more than 40 per cent of those surveyed agreeing that AI feels like “cheating”, and one in three using AI without employer knowledge.

Moreover, more than 50 per cent of participating employees who use AI at work taught themselves through social media and video-sharing platforms.

The report also revealed that many employers believe they are creating encouraging environments for AI adoption, but employees are far from certain.

According to Employment Hero Asia-Pacific managing director James Keene, “the conversation is shifting from whether people should use AI to how organisations can help them use it confidently and responsibly. Most employees are already finding value in these tools – they just need clarity around what’s encouraged and what’s expected.”

“People getting the most value from AI are often the ones feeling the most conflicted about using it. They’re using AI to do better work, learn faster, and take on more, but many are still wondering whether they’re relying on it too much or whether others will judge them for using it,” Keene said.

In this way, strong leadership is more important than ever.

Keene said: “When employers provide clear guidance and practical support, people are far more confident using AI in ways that benefit both the business and their own development.”

According to a researcher in psychiatry at UNSW, Dr Anna Kiaos, “the workforce has already voted for AI with their behaviour, and now it is the leadership’s job to make it official by talking about it openly, confidently and with support. When leaders use AI openly and show their teams, ‘this is how we work now’, the guilt and shame fall away, and the gains start to compound.”

For employers, the biggest balancing act now is preparing workers rather than replacing them.

In what should be a comfort to workers, a strong majority of surveyed business leaders see employee roles and responsibilities shifting rather than disappearing, with 23 per cent believing AI will cause the creation of new roles, and another 55 per cent saying existing roles will be refocused.

Qualities such as work ethic, communication, adaptability, and AI literacy are increasingly prioritised in hiring as AI is integrated into workflows, with the data suggesting junior staff are still in demand.

Kiaos said: “The fear that it would hollow out entry-level work is being contradicted by the evidence: AI-forward businesses are hiring more staff, not fewer, AI is accelerating people’s potential instead of replacing it.”

Acknowledging that many are still wary of AI’s full impact on the workforce, Keene said workplaces can address these concerns.

“When staff feel they have to hide their AI use, it’s rarely because they’re trying to break the rules. More often, they’re simply unsure whether it’s genuinely encouraged,” Keene said.

“For leaders, it’s about removing that uncertainty and giving people the confidence to use these tools safely.”

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