Being honest about using AI at work makes people trust you less, research finds
The transparency trap: Admitting you use AI on the job can come at a cost to your credibility.
A recent study involving over 5,000 participants found that disclosing the use of AI—whether for writing, grading, or creative tasks—can paradoxically reduce how trustworthy people perceive you to be, even among tech-savvy individuals. This trust penalty stems from lingering expectations that meaningful work should reflect human effort, making AI-assisted outputs seem less legitimate. However, hiding AI use can backfire even more if discovered later, causing a deeper erosion of trust. This creates a dilemma: be transparent and risk skepticism, or conceal and risk exposure. As AI becomes more integrated into the workplace, organizations must carefully consider whether to enforce disclosure, leave it optional, or foster a culture where using AI is normalized and accepted.