5 days ago
Nearly Half of Employees Trust AI More Than Their Co-Workers
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Nearly half of U.S. employees trust artificial intelligence more than their own co-workers, according to a new report from Calypso AI.
The findings show that AI is often seen as more trustworthy than humans, with 45 percent of workers saying they trust AI more.
Why It Matters
The widespread use of AI tools like ChatGPT, Gemini and Copilot has increased efficiency for many companies and industries, but it also exposes organizations to mounting cybersecurity, compliance and reputational risks.
A prior survey from security company Anagram found that nearly half of employees said they were using banned AI tools at work, and 58 percent admitted to pasting sensitive data into large language models, including client records and internal documents.
A person holds a smartphone displaying the ChatGPT logo on its screen in front of a blurred OpenAI logo on August 9, 2025, in Chongqing, China.
A person holds a smartphone displaying the ChatGPT logo on its screen in front of a blurred OpenAI logo on August 9, 2025, in Chongqing, To Know
The new Calypso AI survey of 1,000 office workers discovered that the use of AI is high at work, with 52 percent of employees saying they would use AI to make their job easier, even if it violated company policy.
This is especially true among executives, with 67 percent saying they'd use it even if against the rules.
"This stat says less about AI and more about people," Mike Ford, CEO of Skydeo, told Newsweek. "Employees aren't replacing trust in humans with machines, they're responding to years of inconsistent leadership, unclear communication and internal politics. AI feels objective. It doesn't play favorites, take credit or change its mind in the next meeting."
There could be far-reaching implications for companies and how they define their AI policies, as 34 percent of those surveyed said they would quit their jobs if their employer banned AI.
"Leaders need to keep that trust by being transparent about how it works and making sure people still feel valued and connected," David Brudenell, the executive director of Decidr, a global enterprise AI platform, told Newsweek. "The winning companies will pair that reliability with human judgment and creativity, so employees trust the whole system, not just the software."
To date, 28 percent admitted to using AI to access sensitive data, while 28 percent also said they've submitted proprietary company information so AI could complete a task.
What People Are Saying
Donnchadh Casey, CEO of CalypsoAI, in a statement: "These numbers should be a wake-up call. We're seeing executives racing to implement AI without fully understanding the risks, frontline employees using it unsupervised, and even trusted security professionals breaking their own rules. We know inappropriate use of AI can be catastrophic for enterprises, and this isn't a future threat—it's already happening inside organizations today."
HR consultant Bryan Driscoll told Newsweek: "It's less about blind faith in a machine and more about deep skepticism of people. Employees see AI as impartial, at least compared to colleagues who can bring politics, bias or grudges into decisions. But that trust often comes from assuming the tech is somehow above human flaws. It's not. If the data it's trained on is biased, the output will be too."
David Brudenell, the executive director of Decidr, a global enterprise AI platform, told Newsweek: "AI earns trust because it's consistent, fast, and free from office politics, which are qualities humans don't always deliver. The future isn't AI replacing people, it's AI becoming the most reliable teammate in the room."
What Happens Next
The shift toward trusting AI over co-workers shows that the employees are craving consistency and transparency, Driscoll said.
"If employers don't address the root problem—eroding trust between people—AI will fill that gap, for better or worse. That could hardwire algorithmic decision-making into core operations before we've reckoned with its risks," Driscoll said.
