- AI is changing workplace etiquette, with 63% of 25,000 UK workers surveyed by Deloitte saying they use generative AI at work, mainly to find information, write emails, and summarize content.
- Searching for information with AI is generally less problematic, but AI-written emails can sound cold or robotic and make recipients think the sender is lazy or insincere.
- AI etiquette training from Beaumont Etiquette emphasizes the importance of human judgment and personal communication.
- AI-generated summaries also require caution, especially when the content directly concerns other people, such as employee performance reviews.
- A summary that leaves out important achievements or goals could disadvantage the recipient and make the manager appear uncaring.
- Sending AI-assisted work without checking its accuracy can also create “workslop,” shifting the burden of correcting mistakes onto colleagues.
- More than one-third of US workers say they have received workslop from colleagues, costing them more than three hours a month to deal with it.
- Transparency also matters when using AI, particularly when recording meetings or bringing an AI note-taker into a meeting without informing participants.
- The basic solution is to give people advance notice, seek consent when necessary, and always check the content before passing responsibility on to someone else.
- Technology can make an action easier, but the ability to do something does not necessarily mean that doing it is appropriate.
📌 AI etiquette essentially extends the principles of good manners that already exist: respecting other people’s time, effort, privacy, and participation. With 63% of UK workers using AI at work and more than one-third of US workers having received workslop, checking, communicating clearly, and preserving the human element become increasingly important as bots become more common.
