A new report asked 1,200 C-suite executives and 1,200 employees across the U.S., U.K., Ireland, Benelux, France and Germany about using AI at work. Hidden in the responses are several spots where HR leaders might face headwinds because the common outlook might not match the reality on the ground.
Here are five AI-adoption myths gleaned from AI platform Writer’s 2026 AI Adoption in the Enterprise survey, conducted in partnership with Workplace Intelligence.
‘Our employees feel safe speaking up about AI problems.’
HR and compliance leaders tend to focus on governance frameworks and data privacy when thinking about AI risk. That is necessary, of course, but many managers and leaders also expect that employees will say something if an AI tool produces a dangerous or biased result. In fact, the study revealed that 90% of executives believe employees feel safe reporting unethical AI behaviors without fear of reprisal.
However, that’s largely inaccurate. The survey found 28% of employees have already seen an AI tool produce a result that was dangerously wrong, unethical or biased. Yet, 30% say they wouldn’t feel safe reporting it, because they are worried about retaliation.
‘Gen Z will figure out AI. They’re digital natives.’
The assumption that younger workers will naturally embrace AI and need less support is a common shortcut in adoption planning.
But the data suggests this is flawed thinking. The research found that Gen Z employees are the most likely to work against their company’s AI strategy. They aren’t just ignoring or denying enterprise efforts, because 44% of Gen Z workers admit to sabotaging AI in at least one way, compared to 29% of workers overall. Forms of sabotage include intentionally generating low-quality outputs to make AI look ineffective and tampering with performance metrics.
Why would someone do that? Thirty percent say they don’t want AI to take over their job. Twenty-six percent say it has diminished their value or creativity. HR leaders should consider that, for early-career workers whose professional identity is tied to skill-building and creative contribution, AI may seem ready to steal their opportunities.
‘Our managers are handling adoption.’
HR and C-suite leaders hope that managers are there to bridge the gap between employees and enterprise AI adoption efforts. The data suggests that’s largely wishful thinking.
Just 35% of employees say their manager is an AI champion. Nearly 60% say their manager is open to AI but provides minimal direction. And 55% of employees (64% among Gen Z) say they know more about using AI for their job than their manager does.
Managers are the powerhouse that turns strategy into daily work. When they lack knowledge and confidence, the gap between what executives announce and what employees do becomes more obvious. According to the research, employee confidence in their company’s AI strategy fell from 47% in 2025 to 31% in 2026. And there is another manager-related sticking point: 75% of employees say they’d trust AI over their manager for at least one task.
‘We have an AI strategy, so adoption programs will work.’
Considering all the work HR teams have put into AI upskilling and workforce planning around new technology, this one stings a bit. Seventy-five percent of C-suite respondents say their company’s AI strategy is “more for show” than for actual internal guidance.
They cite PR and investor relations as key motivators to making a strategy in the first place. Thirty-nine percent admit they have no formal plan to drive revenue from these tools, and nearly 70% say that while that foundation is missing, their company is already doing layoffs tied to AI.
‘Our performance system can handle this.’
According to the report, “AI super-users” save nearly nine hours per week, compared to two hours for basic users, and are about 3X more likely to have received both a promotion and a raise in the past year. Meanwhile, 43% of employees say they’re expected to do the work of more than one person because of AI productivity gains, and 95% of the C-suite say roles and structures are already changing.
The report calls this tension between super-users and laggards a “two-tired workforce,” with the C-suite actively cultivating these best-in-class AI utilizers. Those who don’t come along for the ride will likely be left behind, say the researchers, as 60% of surveyed execs say they are planning layoffs for employees who “can’t or won’t use AI.”
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