Businesses adopt AI faster than safeguards, Nationwide finds

Businesses are incorporating AI into workplace tasks faster than they are setting rules for how it should be used, according to a Nationwide survey of small and mid-market business owners. Six in 10 business owners say employees use public AI chatbots or writing tools for work-related tasks, while just 36% have written policies governing employee AI use and 37% provide training on responsible use.

The survey points to limited oversight of what employees enter into public tools and how AI outputs are checked. More than a third (35%) believe employees are using unauthorized AI tools for work, while only 27% say their businesses have rules governing what company or customer information can be entered into AI tools. Just 25% have procedures for verifying AI-generated information before it is used for business decisions.

External risks are also rising. Nearly one-third (31%) of small and mid-market business owners say their company has been targeted by a scam or fraud attempt using generative AI within the past 12 months, and more than half of independent insurance agents (52%) say they have seen an increase in related claims. Only 35% of owners say they have an up-to-date incident response plan.