The last few years have reshaped what it means to be “tech literate.” Knowing how to format a spreadsheet or automate a calendar used to be enough. But with AI tools now embedded into everything from writing emails to analyzing contracts, a new kind of literacy is taking center stage: AI safety.
Why AI Safety Matters for Everyone—Not Just IT
AI is no longer confined to data science teams or engineering labs. It’s in marketing, sales, customer service, HR, and legal. Tools like ChatGPT, Copilot, and Midjourney are now just another tab in the browser.
According to KPMG’s 2025 Trust in AI report, three in five (58%) employees intentionally use AI at work on a regular basis, with a third using it weekly. Less than half of employees report any form of training or education in AI or related fields (47%) or have at least a moderate level of AI knowledge (46%), and only half (51%) believe they can use AI effectively.
But most employees were never trained to think about:
- What’s okay to paste into a chatbot
- When an AI-generated answer might be wrong
- How to trace the source of AI-generated content
- What it means to disclose AI assistance ethically
And yet, they’re using these tools every day.
Safety is the New Skill Gap
Just as cybersecurity became everyone’s job in the age of phishing and remote work, AI safety now demands a baseline skillset across the organization. Salesforce notes that up to 40% of workers will need new skills within three years due to AI-driven change—and that AI literacy drives compliance and gives companies a competitive edge.
It’s not enough to set policies and hope they stick. Employees need practical fluency in:
- Data protection: Knowing what’s safe to share, and what isn’t.
- Bias and fairness: Recognizing when AI outputs might reflect harmful or unfair assumptions.
- Attribution and responsibility: Understanding when AI output needs to be double-checked or properly disclosed.
- Tool trustworthiness: Being able to assess which tools are sanctioned, secure, and accountable.
This isn’t about turning every employee into an AI ethicist. It’s about giving people the right mental models to work safely and confidently with AI.
From Training to Muscle Memory
Most organizations rely on AI policies or one-time trainings. But in practice, these often fail to shift day-to-day behavior. That’s because real learning happens in context—when the skill is needed, not months earlier in a classroom.
AI safety, like cybersecurity hygiene, is most effective when it becomes habitual:
- A quick pause before pasting sensitive data
- A second look at AI-generated customer responses
- A moment of reflection before sharing or publishing AI-assisted work
Embedding AI safety into daily workflows—not just training slides—is what turns awareness into capability.
What Forward-Thinking Organizations Are Doing
Progressive companies aren’t waiting for regulation. They’re:
- Treating AI safety as part of onboarding
- Encouraging “red teaming” of AI outputs internally
- Promoting tool literacy alongside technical upskilling
- Deploying real-time coaching systems like Tripwire to catch risky actions before they escalate
Raconteur reports that companies including IKEA, JPMorgan Chase, WPP, and major brands rolled out AI upskilling to mass employee cohorts—reaching tens of thousands across regions like the U.S. and Mexico.
Building a Culture of Responsible AI Use
Just as digital literacy became essential in the 2000s, AI safety is fast becoming a foundational competency in the 2020s. The question isn’t whether employees will use AI—it’s whether they’ll do it safely, ethically, and with sound judgment.
The future belongs to organizations that make AI safety second nature.
Tripwire helps teams build this muscle—by embedding policy reminders, contextual guidance, and real-time nudges into everyday AI use.
Want to explore how to upskill your workforce for the AI era? Perhaps this is an area where working with us can help.
- Learn more about our solution through the post: Introducing Tripwire
- Apply for early access and get our exclusive whitepaper
- Or just follow along as we explore how to make AI use at work safer, smarter, and more human