30 April 2026
New research from WorkClone, conducted by Primara Research, reveals a concerning trend at the top of Australian organisations: executives are the most likely to input sensitive information into AI tools, yet 99% know exactly what qualifies as sensitive data.
The nationally representative survey of 1,000 Australian workers found 55% of executives admit to entering sensitive data into AI tools, compared with 49% of managers and 36% of employees.
The people who know better are doing it more
Executives also report the highest concern about data exposure through AI, with 80% flagging it as a risk. Yet more than one in five (21%) are unaware that consumer AI tools store and use their inputs, and only 45% have a firm understanding of how AI data training actually works.
"Executives handle the most sensitive information in any organisation, including financials, strategy and client data," said Natalie Ashes, CEO of WorkClone. "Data entered into publicly available AI tools may be stored on overseas servers, used for model training, or accessible to the platform provider under terms most users have never read. For ASX-listed companies that can carry disclosure obligations. For professional services firms, it can breach client confidentiality clauses. For anyone handling personal information, it may violate the Privacy Act."
Medium businesses are the most exposed
The risk is sharpest in medium-sized businesses (50-200 employees), where 50% of workers admit to entering sensitive data into AI, including 16% who do so regularly. Large businesses sit at 45% (12% regularly), while small businesses show the lowest rates at 35% (8% regularly).
Formal AI policies help explain the divide: 56% of large businesses have one, versus 43% of medium, but just 25% of small. Yet despite that gap, small businesses still record the lowest rates of sensitive data entry (35%), suggesting personal accountability fills the void where policy doesn't exist. Medium businesses, caught between the two, fare worst when it comes to entering sensitive data into AI.
"Medium businesses have outgrown the personal accountability that keeps small teams in check, but haven't yet built the governance infrastructure of a large enterprise," said Ashes. "That's exactly where data leaks quietly through the cracks."
AI usage is no longer a niche workplace behaviour. Ninety percent of employees now use AI tools, with 74% doing so weekly, meaning the volume of data flowing into these platforms is significant and growing.
"Businesses that treat AI security as an afterthought are already behind. The tools you choose need to have it built in from the start.”
https://observablehq.com/embed/98b517869a683765@13?cells=workcloneChart2&banner=false
The data used in this release is from a survey commissioned by Primara Research for WorkClone of 1,000 employees in Australia.