Artificial Intelligence (AI) is becoming an increasingly common part of our everyday working lives. From helping to draft emails and summarise documents to supporting research and generating ideas, AI tools can improve efficiency and productivity across a wide range of roles. As these technologies become more accessible, it's important that we use them responsibly, ethically, and in line with company policies.

What is AI?

AI refers to technology that can perform tasks that would normally require human intelligence. Common examples include virtual assistants, chatbots, translation tools, and content-generation platforms. Many organisations are now exploring how AI can help employees save time, automate routine tasks, and focus on higher-value work.

While AI can be a useful tool, it should be viewed as an aid rather than a replacement for human judgement, expertise, and decision-making.

Benefits of AI in the Workplace

When used appropriately, AI can support employees in a number of ways, including:

• Drafting emails, reports, and communications.
• Summarising lengthy documents or meeting notes.
• Generating ideas and suggestions for projects.
• Supporting research and information gathering.
• Automating repetitive administrative tasks.

These capabilities can help improve productivity and allow employees to spend more time on tasks that require creativity, critical thinking, and personal interaction.

Understanding the Risks

Despite its advantages, AI also presents potential risks if used without appropriate care.

One of the biggest considerations is accuracy. AI-generated content may sound convincing, but it can sometimes provide incorrect, outdated, or misleading information. For this reason, any work produced using AI should always be reviewed and checked before being shared or relied upon.

Confidentiality is another important factor. Employees should never enter sensitive organisational information, patient data, personal employee details, or commercially confidential information into public AI platforms unless specifically authorised to do so. Once data is shared with an external system, there may be risks regarding how that information is stored, processed, or used.

Additionally, AI can sometimes reflect biases that exist in the data it has been trained on. This highlights the importance of maintaining human oversight and ensuring decisions are fair, objective, and aligned with company values.

Best Practices for Responsible AI Use

If you use AI tools as part of your role, consider the following good practices:

1. Verify the Output: Always review and fact-check AI-generated content before using it. AI can make mistakes, and responsibility for the final output remains with the user.

2. Protect Sensitive Information: Do not share confidential, personal, customer, or business-critical data with AI tools unless approved by the organisation and covered by relevant policies.

3. Use AI to Support, Not Replace, Thinking: AI can help generate ideas and save time, but it should not replace professional judgement, expertise, or critical decision-making. Employees should continue to apply their own knowledge and experience when completing their work.

4. Follow Company Policies: Ensure you understand any organisational guidance relating to AI use, data protection, information security, and confidentiality. If you are unsure whether a particular use is appropriate, seek advice from your manager, HR, or the relevant department before proceeding.

5. Look Ahead: AI is likely to continue shaping the future of work, creating new opportunities to improve efficiency and enhance the employee experience. By embracing these tools responsibly, we can benefit from their potential while protecting our information, maintaining high standards of work, and ensuring decisions remain human-centred.

The key message is simple: AI can be a powerful workplace tool, but it works best when combined with human judgement, accountability, and common sense. By staying informed and using AI responsibly, we can make the most of its benefits while minimising potential risks.

FPM Core has a recently-published policy that sets out everything you need to know about using AI at work. Our Use of Artificial Intelligence Policy sets out the following in relation to AI in your organisation:

• Applicable Law
• AI Risks
  
• Ethical prompting
  
• What does good look like?
  
• Training
  
• Feedback and Forums
  
• Escalation
  
• Business Continuity Planning