The survey of 79,000 businesses across five countries – Australia , Canada , Ireland , New Zealand and the UK – was conducted by the Peninsula Group , a global HR , employment law and health & safety advisory and consultancy firm – to look at the opportunities and concerns employers have around the use of AI in the workplace . This is the second year the survey has been run .

Use of AI remains low across small and medium businesses ; despite a 50 % year-on-year increase , only one in 10 SMEs say they are regularly using AI in their workplace .

Australian and New Zealand employers are the most likely to use AI regularly , while Irish employers are the least likely .

As the use of AI increases , so do concerns around the risks posed by it . Almost half of those surveyed report concerns about the security risks posed by AI , a 60 % year-on-year increase .

Almost half of employers ( 47 %) surveyed cite security risk as their biggest concern around AI in the workplace , up from 30 % this time last year .

Significant year-on-year increases were also seen in concerns around reputational impact (+ 183 %), risk of breaking the law (+ 183 %), loss of intellectual property (+ 178 %) and impact on work quality and productivity (+ 158 %) since 2023 .

Meanwhile there has been a 6 % decrease in the number of businesses believing that AI has the potential to transform many workplaces , alongside a 19 % increase in the number saying AI is useful but won ’ t overtake traditional ways of working . The survey also found a 21 % increase in the number of employers saying they were fearful of the unknown when it comes to AI .

Where businesses have incorporated AI into the business , the majority are using it for administrative tasks or creative writing .

Other key findings include :

• One in four UK SMEs concerned about the risk of losing intellectual property ( IP ) posed by AI , compared to one in 20 this time last year

• Less than 50 % of small businesses say that people are irreplaceable in their business

• One in four SMEs say AI will probably reduce the number of people employed by their company at some point

• For the second year running , Canadians are the most cautious , with only 23 % of employers believing AI has the power to positively transform the workplace . Fifty-three percent are either fearful of the unknown , unsure about negative elements or believe that AI will be highly detrimental to the workplace

• Australian employers are twice as concerned about loss of intellectual property than Irish and UK employers and three times more concerned than Canadian employers

• Forty percent of UK SMEs worry about the margin of error AI brings , up from 14 % this time last year

• One in five UK small businesses who use AI say it has had a positive impact �

THE SURVEY ALSO FOUND A 21 % INCREASE IN THE NUMBER OF EMPLOYERS SAYING THEY WERE FEARFUL OF THE UNKNOWN WHEN IT COMES TO AI .

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