--- title: Through the People Lens - Why it still feels like cheating description: This is the second article in our cycle of Through the 5 Lenses. October's Purpose lens uncovered AI decisions nobody had actually made. This month, People asks who was actually in the room when the decision wasn't. image: https://www.jannaways.co.uk/hubfs/Banner%20Images%20(21)-1.png --- Through the People Lens - Why it still feels like cheating [Skip to content](https://www.jannaways.co.uk/blog/through-the-people-lens-why-it-still-feels-like-cheating-1#main-content) [![Jannaways logo](https://www.jannaways.co.uk/hs-fs/hubfs/Jannaways%20Logo-%20Dark.png?width=1000&height=200&name=Jannaways%20Logo-%20Dark.png)](https://www.jannaways.co.uk/) - [Home](https://www.jannaways.co.uk) - [Approach](https://www.jannaways.co.uk/our-approach) - [About](https://www.jannaways.co.uk/about) - [Insights](https://www.jannaways.co.uk/blog) - [Contact Us](https://www.jannaways.co.uk/contact-us) Open main navigation Close main navigation - [Home](https://www.jannaways.co.uk) - [Approach](https://www.jannaways.co.uk/our-approach) - [About](https://www.jannaways.co.uk/about) - [Insights](https://www.jannaways.co.uk/blog) - [Contact Us](https://www.jannaways.co.uk/contact-us) [LATEST BLOGS](https://www.jannaways.co.uk/blog/all) # Through the People Lens - Why it still feels like cheating 22 October 2026 1 minute read ![](https://www.jannaways.co.uk/hubfs/Banner%20Images%20(21)-1.png) ##### Why it Still Feels Like Cheating| November 2026   Your organisation has said yes to AI. People can see the benefits, and some are already using it every day. And yet, ask a team who's using it and the room goes quiet. In a session I ran recently, someone finally said what many people feel: using AI still feels a bit like cheating, as if you're somehow less for admitting it. That was in an organisation actively encouraging AI. Why encouragement isn't enough  It's tempting to treat this as a confidence problem. It isn't. Experiments with thousands of people have found that AI users are judged as lazier and less competent, and that people who say they've used AI are trusted less. Hiding it is worse: being found out later costs the most trust of all. Telling people that AI use is common doesn't remove the penalty. The reluctance is a sensible response to how people are actually judged. Make it legitimate before you make it visible  Part of the cheating instinct comes from treating effort as proof of value. But the value in a funding bid or a board paper lies in judgement: knowing what matters, spotting what's wrong and deciding what goes out under your name. That stays with us. The real concern isn't using AI. It's using it badly: on the wrong task, with sensitive data, or without checking. So before asking people to be open, make AI use legitimate. Not just permitted by policy, but accepted by colleagues as a proper way to do appropriate work. What becomes possible  Good practice spreads, because people can see how others use AI well. Risky use is more likely to be spotted, because it isn't hidden. Managers judge the work, not the tool. Colleagues who rely on AI as an accessibility aid aren't stigmatised for it. The question isn't whether your people use AI. It's whether your best AI user would feel safe telling you how.   Click 'Read More' to continue reading...   [Read More](https://www.jannaways.co.uk/blog/through-the-people-lens-why-it-still-feels-like-cheating) Share: [facebook-f icon](http://www.facebook.com/share.php?u=https://www.jannaways.co.uk/blog/through-the-people-lens-why-it-still-feels-like-cheating-1) [linkedin-in icon](http://www.linkedin.com/shareArticle?mini=true&url=https://www.jannaways.co.uk/blog/through-the-people-lens-why-it-still-feels-like-cheating-1) [pinterest-p icon](http://pinterest.com/pin/create/link/?url=https://www.jannaways.co.uk/blog/through-the-people-lens-why-it-still-feels-like-cheating-1) [envelope icon](mailto:?body=https://www.jannaways.co.uk/blog/through-the-people-lens-why-it-still-feels-like-cheating-1) #### Read more [![Jannaways Logo- Dark copy100](https://www.jannaways.co.uk/hubfs/Jannaways%20Logo-%20Dark%20copy100.svg "Jannaways Logo- Dark copy100")](https://www.jannaways.co.uk) Copyright © 2026, Jannaway Freelancing Ltd, Design and maintenance: [Evil Empire](https://evilempire.co.uk/) - [Our Longer Reads](https://www.jannaways.co.uk/our-longer-reads) - [AI Governance Diagnostic](https://www.jannaways.co.uk/ai-governance-diagnostic) - [Investment](https://www.jannaways.co.uk/investment) - [Privacy](https://www.jannaways.co.uk/privacy-notice) [linkedin-in icon](https://www.linkedin.com/company/jannaways) [Follow us on Facebook](https://www.facebook.com/jannawaysuk) [Follow us on Facebook](https://www.instagram.com/jannawaysuk) - [![gbc-white](https://www.jannaways.co.uk/hs-fs/hubfs/gbc-white.jpg?width=124&height=132&name=gbc-white.jpg)](https://goodbusinesscharter.com/) - [![fsb-1](https://www.jannaways.co.uk/hs-fs/hubfs/fsb-1.jpg?width=500&height=500&name=fsb-1.jpg)](https://www.fsb.org.uk/) - [![thames-valley-chamber-of-commerce](https://www.jannaways.co.uk/hs-fs/hubfs/thames-valley-chamber-of-commerce.jpg?width=1800&height=800&name=thames-valley-chamber-of-commerce.jpg)](https://www.thamesvalleychamber.co.uk/) ```json { "@context" : "https://schema.org", "@type" : "BlogPosting", "author" : { "@type" : "Person", "name" : "Rachel Jannaway", "url" : "https://www.jannaways.co.uk/blog/author/rachel-jannaway" }, "dateModified" : "2026-10-22T10:23:59.620Z", "datePublished" : "2026-10-22T10:23:59.000Z", "headline" : "Through the People Lens - Why it still feels like cheating", "image" : [ "https://www.jannaways.co.uk/hubfs/Banner%20Images%20(21)-1.png" ], "mainEntityOfPage" : { "@id" : "https://www.jannaways.co.uk/blog/through-the-people-lens-why-it-still-feels-like-cheating-1", "@type" : "WebPage" }, "publisher" : { "@type" : "Organization", "logo" : { "@type" : "ImageObject", "url" : "https://www.jannaways.co.uk/hubfs/Jannaways%20Logo-%20Dark.png" }, "name" : "Jannaways" } } ``` ```json { "@context" : "http://schema.org", "@type" : "Article", "author" : { "@type" : "Person", "name" : [ "Rachel Jannaway" ], "url" : "https://www.jannaways.co.uk/blog/author/rachel-jannaway" }, "datePublished" : "2026-10-22T10:23:59+0000", "description" : "This is the second article in our cycle of Through the 5 Lenses. 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