A new report titled, “AI at Work: Ground Truth for the Global Workforce”, has uncovered critical insight into AI adoption in the workplace. While AI strategy may begin in the boardroom, its success is determined by the daily work of employees.
This report analyses adoption and usage across the workforce, offering insights to help leaders close critical gaps and implement effective AI business strategies.
With a range of AI tools available on the market, from AI assistants to more comprehensive AI agents that can autonomously make decisions and perform actions, AI adoption continues to increase:
- 78% of workers are already using AI in their role, and 50% are using AI agents.
- On average, employees interact with AI every day (6.5 days a week), and report saving 3.1 hours on work-related tasks.
- Despite strong adoption, 94% report barriers to effective AI usage in their organization, with data privacy and security as a top concern.
- 45% believe using AI tools is stigmatised as lazy or untrustworthy, and 39% feel judged or second-guessed when using AI.
Amidst its rapid adoption, training and education have emerged as a significant gap in ensuring effective AI usage, with 97% of respondents recognising the importance of education in AI safety and data security, yet only 63% having received company-advised or mandated training:
- 45% of respondents report a disconnect between leadership’s AI enthusiasm and training provided within their organisation.
- 47% are self-taught or learned how to use AI tools through trial and error.
- Managers are more likely to have been trained (82%) than non-managers (62%).
- Respondents identified training as the top way companies can better support AI adoption in their organisations, followed by assurance about data privacy and clear guidelines for usage.
Generational differences have also emerged as an adoption gap driven by a disparity in AI confidence in the workplace. While employees in management positions have the highest trust in AI, respondents report trusting AI agents more than junior employees or interns, a telling sign of where perceptions of competence are shifting:
- 70% of managers are very confident with AI, compared to just 43% of non-managers.
- Half of respondents (50%) believe they’re more likely to be managing AI agents than people in their future careers.
- 55% believe managing agents would be easier than managing humans.
- Nearly half (47%) believe they will be managed by an AI agent in the future.