AI use in the American workplace is rising steadily. Half of employed U.S. adults now say they use AI in their job at least a few times a year, up from 46% the previous quarter, according to Gallup. Daily AI use has reached 13%, and 28% of workers report using it at least a few times a week. At the same time, organizational adoption is climbing more slowly, with 41% of companies now integrating AI tools into their operations.
But rising adoption numbers tell only part of the story. Across multiple surveys covering thousands of workers in the U.S. and internationally, a more complicated picture emerges: many employees are avoiding AI tools, trust in the technology is low, and the productivity gains that companies expected have been slow to materialize at the organizational level.
Workers are stepping back
A global survey of 3,750 executives and employees across 14 countries, conducted by WalkMe for its annual State of Digital Adoption report, found that more than half of workers bypassed their company’s AI tools in the past 30 days and completed work manually instead. Another 33% had not used AI at all. Combined, roughly eight in ten enterprise workers are either avoiding or actively rejecting tools their employers are spending record amounts to deploy. Average digital transformation budgets rose 38% year-over-year to $54.2 million, yet 40% of that spending has underperformed due to adoption failures, according to the report.
A wide trust gap separates workers from leadership. Only 9% of workers trust AI for complex, business-critical decisions, compared to 61% of executives, a difference of 52 percentage points. Eighty-eight percent of executives say their employees have adequate tools, while only 21% of workers agree.
Dan Adika, CEO and co-founder of WalkMe, told Fortune that when he asks chief information officers how many of their people are actually using AI for meaningful work, the answer is typically below 10%. He described the situation using a recurring metaphor: buying every employee a sports car they do not know how to drive, without fuel or roads. Brad Brown, Global Head of Tax Technology and Innovation at KPMG in the U.S., used almost the same image independently. “The F1 car is amazing,” he told Fortune. “But if you don’t have a skilled and talented driver, that tool’s not gonna do much for you.”
Productivity gains are real, but limited
Where AI is used, it does appear to help. Gallup found that 65% of employees in AI-adopting organizations say AI has improved their productivity and efficiency. Frequent users report stronger gains, particularly in leadership and knowledge-based roles. Healthcare workers and those in technical and professional positions also stand out as early beneficiaries.
However, only about one in ten employees in AI-adopting organizations strongly agree that AI has transformed how work gets done across their organization. Gallup notes this is consistent with firm-level studies across the U.S., UK, Germany, and Australia, which show chief executives reporting minimal AI impact on productivity over recent years. Workers in service roles and office administrative support are more likely to say AI has had little or no effect.
The WalkMe report adds a striking data point: workers lose the equivalent of 51 working days per year to technology friction, up 42% compared to the previous year. Goldman Sachs economists, cited in the Fortune article, found that AI saves workers who use it correctly between 40 and 60 minutes per day, an amount roughly equal to the productivity lost by those who struggle with the tools.
Gen Z is using AI, but growing less enthusiastic
Among young Americans, adoption is widespread but sentiment is shifting. A Gallup survey conducted with the Walton Family Foundation and GSV Ventures found that more than half of Gen Z respondents between ages 14 and 29 use generative AI regularly. However, the share who say they feel hopeful about AI dropped from 27% to 18% in one year. Nearly a third reported feeling angry about the technology.
Close to half of young adults in the workforce said the risks of AI outweigh its benefits in the workplace, an 11-point jump from the previous year. Concerns included threats to entry-level jobs, the replacement of human interaction, and the spread of AI-generated misinformation. Despite this, curiosity remained the most widely reported emotional response in the survey.
Workforce changes linked to AI adoption are also fueling anxiety. Gallup found that 18% of all U.S. employees consider it likely their job will be eliminated within five years due to AI or automation. In organizations that have already adopted AI, that figure rises to 23%.
Sources: Gallup, Fortune, The New York Times
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