- 28% of workers use AI regularly, but only 16% have been trained by their employer
- Around half have never been consulted about how they use AI in their specific role
- This mismatch could ultimately lead to adoption of shadow AI and security concerns
A new study from Nexthink found that while 28% of U.S. workers now use artificial intelligence at work several times a week, only about half of them (16%) have received AI training from their employer.
But as technology becomes more integrated into the workplace, nearly two in five workers (38%) now demand more support from their employers when it comes to AI training.
Aside from training, employees also complain about their organization’s broader AI strategy, noting that overall AI strategies don’t take into account specific job needs.
More than half (56%) of workers surveyed indicated that they had never been consulted by their company on how AI was integrated into their AI roles. Additionally, other studies have revealed how deploying inappropriate tools ultimately leads to workers taking matters into their own hands, adopting unapproved AI tools, and putting sensitive company information at risk in personal AI environments.
Vedant Sampath, CTO of Nexthink, emphasized the importance of “knowing where it’s working, where it’s creating friction, and where the adoption gaps really are.”
Faced with this widespread dissatisfaction, only 9% of workers turn to their employer for advice on AI. Social media (31%), news articles (27%), and friends and family (21%) are much more likely to be effective.
“When adoption outpaces training and governance at this margin, organizations do not have a clear path to AI value,” Sampath added. “Some employees are making progress while others are falling behind, and security risks from ungoverned use of AI are going undetected.”
Going forward, businesses must recognize employees’ appetite for AI tools and act more quickly, meeting them where they are with professional versions of proven tools. And while it’s still unclear whether it’s the employer’s or employee’s responsibility to improve their AI skills, clear demand presents a major opportunity for companies to own the narrative.
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