Secret Cyborgs: Your Team Is Already Using AI Without You

Having AI tools doesn't mean your organisation is using them effectively - 38% of employees are experimenting with AI personally, becoming 'secret cyborgs' without guidance or guardrails.Your team is using AI right now. The question is: with or without you?In this episode of A Splice of Life Science Marketing, Matt Wilkinson and Jasmine Gruia-Gray unpack findings from their ELRIG Drug Discovery 2025 survey of 107 life science exhibitors. The data reveals a troubling pattern: organisations are buying AI tools, but adoption remains fragmented, unguided, and risky. Most concerning? 38% of employees in organisations without AI programmes are already experimenting personally - becoming what Ethan Mollick calls "secret cyborgs."This conversation challenges the assumption that access equals adoption. It explores why light users hold the key to AI growth, how the Dunning-Kruger effect shapes power user confidence, and why software-as-a-service companies are outpacing traditional life science vendors in AI maturity.What you'll learn:Why 44% of survey respondents have tried AI but aren't using it daily - and what that means for commercial teamsThe "secret cyborg" phenomenon: how employees are adopting AI without organisational guidance or guardrailsWhy AI readiness matters more than budget - and how structured programmes drive 53-73% daily usage ratesThe cognitive offloading risk: what happens when we stop challenging AI outputs and exercising our mental musclesHow SaaS companies achieved higher AI maturity than tools, reagents, and automation providersPractical steps to close the confidence gap between light users and power users through AI clubs and train-the-trainer modelsChapters:0:04 - Introduction and survey context1:30 - The light user paradox: gym memberships vs AI adoption3:27 - Are power users overestimating readiness? The Dunning-Kruger effect5:31 - Cautious optimism: what 68% of respondents really feel about AI8:52 - Cognitive offloading: the hidden risk of AI dependency11:03 - Why correlation isn't causation in AI-assisted analysis12:58 - SaaS companies and AI maturity: why they're ahead15:00 - The secret cyborg problem: 38% are experimenting without guidance18:17 - Beyond text generation: where AI sophistication breaks down21:15 - Closing the confidence gap: AI clubs and collaborative learning24:34 - AI maturity as competitive differentiator: WPP vs Publicis27:26 - Creating space for human connection in an AI-augmented worldKeywords: AI adoption, life science marketing, secret cyborgs, AI readiness, ELRIG survey, cognitive offloading, AI maturity, light users, power users, AI governance, commercial teams, life science vendorsSubscribe to A Splice of Life Science Marketing for more insights on marketing strategy, AI adoption, and commercial growth in the life sciences. Visit strivenn.com to explore our AI readiness diagnostic and persona development tools.