Key findings:
- Three in ten workers are using AI every day at work, and users feel more productive, more confident, and show no signs of overreliance
- One in four workers who use AI have redirected a colleague to ask AI before coming to them
- Most companies still don’t have official AI policy
- Workers are split on split on junior-level AI use: 35% believe junior level workers should be prohibited from using AI at all
- The AI job security gap: how AI impacts perceived job security depends on how much workers use it
- AI is reshaping career plans, from skill development to target industries, companies, and jobs
- Workers identify critical thinking, creativity, and communication as the most valuable skills in today’s job market
- Students feel unprepared for AI at work, but are divided on AI-readiness courses in school
Three in ten workers are using AI every day at work
Three in ten workers are using AI on a daily basis (21% multiple times a day, 8% once a day). Another 34% use it occasionally (a few times a week or less often), and 37% never use AI at work.
How workers are using AI also differs: while research and gathering information is the leading use case overall among those who have ever used AI (56%), daily users are going beyond basic research:
- Researching and gathering information: 64% vs. 57% for weekly users
- Brainstorming and generating ideas: 51% vs. 39%
- Writing emails and messages: 49% vs. 33%
- Creating documents and reports: 47% vs. 26%
- Analyzing data: 44% vs. 25%
- Summarizing long documents or reports: 41% vs. 24%
- Planning, scheduling, or organizing tasks: 37% vs. 21%
Why workers hesitate on using AI depends on whether or not they use AI at all:
- Regular users (weekly+) are mostly worried about privacy or security (37%), followed by moral or ethical concerns (26%), lack of accuracy or usefulness (26%), and environmental concerns (18%), and a steep learning curve (5%)
- Occasional users (once a month or less), while equally concerned about privacy or security (39%), are more likely to cite ethical (37%), accuracy (34%), or environmental concerns (27%) surrounding AI usage
- Non users do not have a dominant concern, with each issue hovering around 21-26%
Workers feel more productive and self-confident due to AI, and show no signs of overreliance
The benefits of using AI are real. Among AI users:
- 68% say AI has saved them time (84% for daily users)
- 56% feel more confident in their skills (73% for daily users)
- 45% say AI has improved their critical thinking (60% for daily users)
Despite such benefits, workers are not leaning on AI as a crutch: only 6% of AI users say they go to AI first when encountering a task. Most (58%) try to figure things out first before going to AI, and 30% do not use AI for problem-solving at all.
One in four workers who use AI have redirected a colleague to ask AI before coming to them
Workers are also using AI to supplement their work with colleagues, with one in four (23%) users of AI (34% for daily users) admitting to redirecting a colleague toward AI before providing their consultation. The main reasons include: (among AI users)
- Encouraging coworkers to be more self sufficient (50%)
- Saving time and avoiding interruptions (44%)
- AI providing a good enough answer (34%)
- The question/request being simple enough for AI (18%)
- Consulting AI first is a standard practice in their team (12%)
Most companies still don’t have official AI policy
Few workplaces have a hardline stance with AI, with most employers not adopting any official AI usage policy (55%) or allowing AI usage to be optional (34%). Only 6% work at a company where AI is required, and 5% work at a company where AI is completely prohibited.
Workers are split on split on junior-level AI use: 35% believe junior level workers should be prohibited from using AI at all
When it comes to AI usage for junior-level workers, opinions are split between whether they should be prohibited from using AI, or using AI with guided policies
- 9% think junior level workers should be able to use AI freely without any restrictions
- 42% believe junior level workers should be able to use AI with clear guidelines and limitations
- 14% believe junior level workers should be able to use AI only under supervision and approval
- Notably, 35% believe junior level workers should be prohibited from using AI at all
The AI job security gap: how AI impacts perceived job security depends on how much workers use it
Workers who use AI on a daily basis are the only group who feel a net positive about the impact of AI on their current job security: 27% say their job feels more secure due to AI, compared to 22% who feel less secure.
- This reverses among those who use AI weekly, where only 10% feel more secure, compared to 25% who feel less secure.
- This gap widens for those who use AI once a month or less often (3% more secure vs. 24% less secure), but anxiety is relatively low among those who never use AI (4% vs. 10%).
This pattern also holds for overall sentiment about the impact of AI on the job market:
- Daily users are split: 35% feel more optimistic vs. 33% pessimistic (+2pp gap)
- Weekly users skew negative: 16% optimistic vs. 35% pessimistic (-19pp gap)
- Occasional users (1x month or less) are especially pessimistic: 7% optimistic vs. 52% pessimistic (-45pp gap)
- Non-users are also negative: 5% optimistic vs. 31% pessimistic (-25pp gap)
AI is reshaping career plans, from skill development to target industries, companies, and jobs
Nearly one in four workers (23%) have changed (10%) or considered changing (13%) their target industry due to AI, rising to 31% for students or workers currently enrolled in school
- 32% have changed or reconsidered which skills to developing (45% for those in school)
- 24% have changed or reconsidered the jobs they are applying for (34% for students)
- 24% have changed or reconsidered the companies they are applying for (35% for students)
- 39% of those in school have considered changing their field of study or coursework
Among those who have changed or considered changing industries due to AI, the most common destinations are technology, media, and telecommunications (23%) and healthcare, education, and social assistance jobs (22%).
- 12% switched to, or considered switching to construction, skilled trades, and utilities
- 8% switched to, or considered switching to finance, real estate, and business services
- 7% switched to, or considered switching to manufacturing, mining, & agriculture
- 7% switched to, or considered switching to retail, hospitality, & personal services
- 7% switched to, or considered switching to transportation, logistics, and warehousing
AI-resistant career paths are attracting a substantial percentage of workers: one in five (20%) workers are considering switching to a trade job or manual labor profession due to AI.
- 13% think about switching sometimes.
- 4% are actively considering or planning to switch.
- 3% are currently in the process of switching.
Students (and workers) are split on AI has impacted the value of a college degree:
- 33% of students say AI has made college less worth it, on par with the 30% who say AI has made college more worth it
- 33% of workers overall say AI has made college less worth it, ahead of the 18% who say AI has made college more worth it
Addressing this gap also attracts varying sentiment toward mandatory training in schools.
- 35% of workers believe colleges should require AI courses for all students (30% for students)
- 50% believe AI-readiness courses should be optional. (48% for students)
- 15% believe colleges should require AI courses for some students/majors. (21% for students)
