A study by INTOO/Harris says that the traditional methods of organizations adopting technologies and then employees following suit is changing.
The poll says that more than 2 in 5 full-time and part-time employees (22%) say AI is being used by individual workers for business purposes on their own initiative, without formal company-approved tools or processes. By comparison, only 12% report that AI is being used consistently across their organization through formal company-approved tools and processes. In other words, employees are not waiting for their organizations to build AI adoption strategies. They are bringing AI into their work on their own.
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On one side are organizations that have yet to formalize AI adoption:
- 16% report no AI use
- 22% report employee-led AI use without organizational programs
Together, these groups represent 38% of workplaces.
On the other side are organizations where AI has moved beyond experimentation:
- 12% have organization-wide AI programs
- 17% report AI is actively reshaping workflows and workforce planning
Together, these more advanced organizations account for 30% of workplaces.
What does this all mean? The distribution tells an important story. AI adoption isn’t following the traditional technology maturity curve, which makes best practices for adopting AI in organizations increasingly important to define. Instead of organizations leading adoption, employees are and, in the process, a gap is emerging between companies that are embracing AI strategically and those that are still relying on individual experimentation.
Despite concerns about AI disrupting work, employee sentiment is largely positive.
When asked how they feel about using AI in their jobs:
- 34% say they are curious to learn more
- 34% say they are excited about AI’s potential
- 31% say they are confident using AI tools
Still, about 20% feel AI could make their jobs obsolete. Among employees in organizations that are not using AI, 19% express the same concern. This suggests that fears about AI may be driven less by firsthand workplace experience and more by broader public narratives about automation and the future of work. These perceptions must be addressed as part of strategic AI adoption efforts.
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