As AI permeates workplaces and industries, HR is tasked with ensuring AI adoption keeps pace with the evolution of the technology. A recent survey highlights a talent pool with a significant “appetite” to embrace AI: entry-level professionals, particularly those without college degrees.
Generation is a nonprofit with a network of affiliates that span 17 countries and that offers training and job placement for candidates who may face barriers to employment. The organization surveyed 5,500 alumni who graduated the program in the last two years and are now in entry-level roles across a range of tech and non-tech professions, finding that 65% are using artificial intelligence in the workplace.
While AI may be considered to be a tool most commonly deployed among desk workers, the survey data clearly suggests that AI adoption is largely welcomed among entry-level employees across professions, including in healthcare, customer service, tech, green jobs and skilled trades. Most respondents do not have four-year degrees.
Mona Mourshed, Generation’s founding CEO, says that about half of those surveyed have taken the initiative to adopt AI themselves, while others rely on employer-provided tools or a mix of both. What stands out even more, Mourshed says, is how quickly this group has begun experimenting with AI—whether they are supported to or not.
While 35% of Generation’s alumni surveyed have yet to adopt AI, it’s not because of disinterest. Rather, she notes, it is due to “practical barriers” such as unclear workplace guidance or limited time to test and learn.
“Yet, the appetite is clear,” she says.
See also: Why a ‘careful pace’ on AI adoption can scale HR’s impact
HR’s key strategic steps to drive usage
To capture that interest, Mourshed explains that HR can play a key role by providing targeted support that creates time for employees to experiment, and demonstrates how AI can take on repetitive tasks. That can create space for employees to focus on developing higher-value skills like judgment, creativity and critical thinking.
“Employers can take the lead by offering every employee practical, role-specific guidance on how to apply AI in their daily work,” she explains. That means structured support, tailored to different job functions and safe spaces where people can test and learn.
The research shows most of those who are using AI tools are using them often, as “power users” with weekly or more frequent engagement.
According to Mourshed, employers can position power users as mentors and guides for other colleagues who are not as far into their AI adoption journey.
While AI tools are being introduced quickly, most organizations are still in the early stages of figuring out where the real value lies—and being strategic about AI adoption will be key, Mourshed says.
“We’re in the middle of the learning curve,” she says. “What matters now is helping employees experience AI as an enabler—a way to take the friction out of work and open up space for more meaningful tasks. When that shift happens, adoption follows naturally.”
A ‘tailored’ approach to close the AI adoption gender gap
Apart from the potential for AI adoption among entry-level workers, Mourshed notes that one of the other striking findings from the report is the AI usage gender gap.
The research shows that 81% of men report using AI, compared to just 59% of women. Among alumni, a potential driver of that trend is women are more likely to be employed in sectors such as customer service, where AI applications are still unclear. Within tech roles, she says, where the use cases are more well-supported, AI adoption has a smaller gender gap; 86% of men in tech roles say they use AI at work, versus 80% of women in tech roles.
“The lesson for employers is clear: The gender gap isn’t fixed,” she says. “It’s shaped by how organizations introduce and contextualize these tools. Companies that want to address this need to ensure AI training is not just available but tailored—with examples that feel relevant across different sectors and roles.”
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