"And it isn't confined to offices. On Zoom calls, a question lands, and while colleagues pause to think, you quietly type it into ChatGPT. Seconds later, you repeat the polished reply aloud, projecting confidence while your eyes flick to the screen. The smile, the nod, the practiced ease-all while concealing AI use you don't want to admit. The moment works. But afterward comes the whisper: Was that really me-or the machine?"
"Across workplaces, this hidden habit has become the secret we're keeping-a shadow economy of productivity that feels safer to conceal than to own. Surveys show nearly a third of employees who use AI admit they're concealing it-fearing job cuts, reputational damage, or the judgment that their competence is "merely automated." This isn't just about compliance. It's about identity: the gap between what we know and what we want others to believe about us."
One in three employees who use AI at work admit to concealing that use, often out of fear of job loss, reputational harm, or being seen as "merely automated." Hiding AI creates hidden stress, fuels imposter syndrome, and widens a trust gap between workers and leaders. Secrecy often arises where policies are unclear and leadership signals are mixed, making concealment a strategy of self-preservation in surveilled cultures. Stoic philosophy reframes secrecy as an internal bargain between fear and integrity and suggests clarity about purpose and values reduces the urge to hide. Clear standards and transparency convert AI from a shadow habit into a tool for trust, influence, and sustainable success.
Read at Psychology Today
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