"Oops, My AI Did It Again” — The Cost of Unchecked Automation

A new KPMG study reveals a not-so-comforting truth: 57% of employees confess to making mistakes at work because of AI, and nearly half are misusing it—often knowingly. The findings expose a wild west of workplace AI usage, where guidelines are fuzzy or nonexistent. In fact, 46% of respondents admitted uploading sensitive company data to public AI tools, while 67% said they use AI to boost productivity. This mix of enthusiasm and recklessness suggests that, while AI is boosting efficiency, it’s also quietly introducing new risks into day-to-day operations.

The CFO’s domain isn’t immune, either. Reports from the World Economic Forum and the Hackett Group highlight both promise and peril in AI’s role in finance. Gen AI is beginning to touch high-volume functions like cash disbursements and complex tasks like tax management. But despite three-quarters of finance departments having AI plans in motion, confidence is low. The usual suspects—lack of talent, messy data, and clunky change management—are stalling full-scale implementation. In other words, the tech’s moving fast, but the humans behind it are still lacing up their shoes.

What’s clear is that AI governance can no longer be a niche IT issue. With 64% of employees saying they put in less effort because AI is doing the heavy lifting—and 58% not bothering to double-check outputs—it’s time for leaders to step in. Samantha Gloede of KPMG warns that AI strategy must stretch across departments, not stay siloed with tech teams. Otherwise, businesses risk trading productivity gains for a growing pile of AI-fueled errors. Ready or not, the bots are here—and they need supervision.

Read more at CFO Dive.