AI at Work Doubles to 45% as Gallup Survey Exposes Major Communication Gap Between Employers

More workers are using AI, but don't know if their employers are, too - why that's a problem

A recent Gallup poll asked about employees' use of AI at work.Nearly half said they use it at least a few times a year.There were some big differences between industries. The use of AI tools among individual employees is on the rise, according to new data from Gallup -- even though many of those workers have no idea whether the technology is being used across their organizations. Published on Sunday and based on an August survey of over 23,000 US adults, the study found that nearly half (45%) of all respondents now use AI at work at least a few times a year, an increase of 5% from the same time last year. The percentage of workers who report using the technology on a weekly basis also increased (to 23% from 19%), as did those who use it every day (though this increase was less pronounced, to 10% from 8%). Also: AI might finally deliver real ROI for businesses in 2026 - and experts say this is why Even more surprisingly, nearly one-quarter (23%) said they didn't know if their employer had adopted AI to boost productivity or otherwise improve organizational workflows. The fact that the number of workers using AI at work is roughly equal to the number that don't know whether the technology is being used across their organizations reveals a stark communication gap between employers and employees regarding AI strategy. More workers than ever are now using AI to assist with various tasks, but in many cases, this is taking place independently of any broader, top-down AI implementation effort. The new Gallup data is the latest evidence to reveal that, in the age of AI, the best strategy may be to give employees the freedom to experiment with and use the tools that best fit their particular roles -- but at the same time, employers should implement some measure of oversight and education. Also: This company's AI success was built on 5 essential steps - see how they work for you In other words, it's a delicate dance between control and flexibility. Tech developers have been promoting new AI tools, such as agents, as systems that can quickly boost organizational output and efficiency. In practice, however, things are not so simple. Previous research has shown that using AI at work can take a significant psychological toll on workers, with some expriencing reduced motivation in their roles and even burnout. A recent study by the National Cybersecurity Alliance found that many people who use AI at work are doing so without any safety training, raising a serious risk that they may accidentally leak sensitive organizational data. Employers face a big challenge: How do they adopt AI in a manner that benefits individual employees and their organizations as a whole? Also: Gartner urges businesses to 'block all AI browsers' - what's behind the dire warning A big clue arrived in August, when the Massachusetts Institute of Technology published a report that found the overwhelming majority (95%) of business applications of AI have failed. One of the key takeaways from that study was that the small number of businesses that achieved ROI with their AI efforts did so through a bottom-up approach -- that is, letting employees determine what works best for them, rather than enforcing a one-size-fits-all solution. This followed earlier research, which found that professionals were more likely to use AI in the workplace when they receive training and support from company leaders. The emerging paradigm of AI in the workplace is therefore more nuanced than the neat picture that's typically painted by tech marketing. At this early stage of AI deployment, the data suggests that a measure of guidance and oversight can go a long way, but also that this shouldn't be enacted to the point that it suffocates the freedom of individual employees to experiment with the technology themselves. While nearly one-quarter of respondents to the Gallup survey said they didn't know if their employer had adopted AI, even more (40%) stated that they hadn't. That's also striking, since it shows that the frontier of AI adoption is unfolding not on the executive level, but at the employee level. It's possible that this could inform the marketing efforts of tech companies moving forward: Perhaps it's more fruitful to try to sell directly to workers than to company leaders. There were also some important differences between industries. The majority of respondents working in tech, finance, and professional services all said they use AI at least a few times a year at work (76%, 58%, and 57%, respectively), while far fewer in manufacturing, healthcare, and retail reported the same rate of use (38%, 37%, 33%). Also: 3 ways AI agents will make your job unrecognizable in the next few years This adds an additional layer of complexity for employers, as their adoption, training, and oversight strategies should depend largely on their industry, which in turn means there's no single, industry-agnostic roadmap for them to follow. In fact, just as it could be detrimental to over-enforce top-down control of employees' use of AI, it could be counterproductive to try to follow another industry's strategy for adopting the technology.

AI at Work Has Doubled: Here Are the Top Jobs Using It

AI adoption is not slowing down, especially in the workplace. More people are using it to do their jobs than ever, according to a new Gallup survey. Nearly half (45%) of workers are now using AI at least "a few times a year or more," Gallup says. That's up from 21% in 2023. The organization's data comes from 23,068 US adults polled in the third quarter of 2025. However, the amount of people using AI daily is still relatively small at 10%. That's trending up, though, and was 8% just one quarter ago. Usage rates vary by industry, and are higher among white-collar knowledge workers than frontline workers. The industries with the highest reported AI use are technology or information systems (76%), finance (58%), and professional services (57%). Meanwhile, adoption is much lower among among retail employees (33%), healthcare (37%), and manufacturing (38%). The top reasons for using AI are to consolidate information (42%), generate ideas (41%), learn new things (36%), and automate basic tasks (34%). This is about the same as when Gallup first asked this question in Q2 2024, the organization says. The most popular AI tools are chatbots (61%), presumably including ChatGPT, Google Gemini, Microsoft Copilot, and the like. The second most common type are AI tools for writing and editing (36%), followed by coding assistants (14%). Those who use coding assistants are using them more frequently than others. Same goes or data science, analytics, and other "more advanced or specialized AI tools," Gallup says. In other words, the slice of workers who are using these specialized tools are hooked on them. That's not surprising given the rise of vibe coding this year in the tech industry, and the influx of assistants such as OpenAI's Codex and Anthropic's Claude Code. However, many employees are still unaware of AI in their workplace, with 23% saying they don't know if their companies have adopted it at all. Individual contributors were more likely (26%) than managers (16%) to say they did not know. Company leaders were most likely to be aware of AI-related initiatives, with only 7% saying they did not know. The rise in AI at work could be one reason OpenAI intends to make enterprise functionalities a "huge theme of 2026," according to a recent tweet from the company's cofounder and president Greg Brockman. It faces stiff competition from Microsoft Copilot, Anthropic's Claude, and others, all of which are seeking to convince companies their products can improve productivity and automate certain positions on the payroll.

The jobs where people are using AI the most

Why it matters: In certain industries the technology is now widespread, and the very nature of how some professionals work is changing. By the numbers: Those who say they're using AI a few times a year or more at work jumped to 45% in the third quarter of the year -- more than 20 points from the same time in 2024. * Weekly usage rose to 23% from 12% last year. * The share of workers who use AI every day is still pretty small -- just 10% in the third quarter of the year. Zoom in: Gallup surveyed all kinds of workers. Those in so-called "knowledge jobs" have adopted AI at far higher rates than those in service sectors or more blue-collar sectors. * 50% of tech workers, 33% of those in finance and 30% in professional services used AI in their role at least a few times per week. * Those are much higher numbers than in retail (18%), manufacturing (18%) and healthcare (21%). * The higher-up you are in the company, the more likely it is you're using AI, per Gallup. Zoom out: Chatbots are the most frequently used AI type -- used by more than 60% of AI adopters. The bottom line: More than a quarter-century ago, the introduction of Google search kickstarted Internet adoption at work.

More people using AI at work: Gallup

A new Gallup poll found that the percentage of respondents using artificial intelligence (AI) at work ticked up during the third quarter of this year. The survey, released Sunday, found that 45 percent of U.S. employees reported using AI to complete tasks at work last quarter, up from 40 percent in quarter two. More than two in 10 respondents said they used AI at least a few times per week, while 10 percent said they use it daily. Of those who reported using AI, 42 percent used it to consolidate information or data, 41 percent used it to generate new ideas and 36 percent used it to learn new things. Smaller percentages of respondents also reported using AI to interact with customers and collaborate with co-workers -- 13 and 11 percent, respectively. As for what specific tools workers actually use, 61 percent of AI users said they utilize chatbots or virtual assistants, 36 percent reported using AI writing and editing tools and 14 percent said they use AI coding assistants. The latest data comes amid debate over the federal government's role in regulating AI, and policies to ensure the United States maintains its edge in the AI race against China. Last week, President Trump issued an executive order imposing a national standard on AI, limiting states from enacting their own laws on the matter. That has split the GOP, with Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) and Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) among those against a federal preemption of state AI laws. Republicans on Capitol Hill have unsuccessfully pushed for similar legislation on a national AI framework in the past six months, including it in the sweeping tax and budget bill over the summer and the National Defense Authorization Act last month. Americans have also expressed concern about the environmental impact of the AI boom, as well as its impact on workers in various industries. Amazon CEO Andy Jassy, for instance, told employees in a June memo that the company's increasing reliance on AI will allow it to "reduce our total corporate workforce" in the next few years. The Gallup survey was conducted from Aug. 5-19 via self-administered online surveys with 23,068 U.S. adults. It has a margin of error of plus or minus 1 percent, at a 95 percent confidence level.

How Americans Are Using A.I. at Work and Which Industries Are Leading: Survey

Around 45 percent of surveyed U.S. workers are using the technology several times a year. The integration of A.I. into the workforce has fueled widespread fears of job displacement, as workers across industries worry their roles could eventually be replaced by the technology, but those concerns have done little to slow its adoption in U.S. offices. The share of American workers using A.I. "a few times a year" reached 45 percent in the third quarter of 2025, up from 40 percent in the prior three-month period, according to a Gallup survey of more than 23,000 employed U.S. adults. Sign Up For Our Daily Newsletter Sign Up Thank you for signing up! By clicking submit, you agree to our <a href="http://observermedia.com/terms">terms of service</a> and acknowledge we may use your information to send you emails, product samples, and promotions on this website and other properties. You can opt out anytime. See all of our newsletters Employees who use A.I. are also turning to it more frequently. The proportion using the technology a few times a week or more rose from 19 percent to 23 percent over the same period, while daily use increased from 8 percent to 10 percent. Adoption varies significantly by industry. A.I. is most prevalent in knowledge-based roles, Gallup found, with more than three-quarters of workers in technology and information systems using it a few times a year or more. More than half of those in finance and professional services reported similar usage. Meanwhile, rates fall sharply among frontline workers. Just 38 percent of manufacturing employees, 37 percent of health care workers and 33 percent of retail workers said they use A.I. on a regular basis. The sectors adopting A.I. the fastest are also those facing the greatest labor risks. Earlier this year, Stanford researchers found that early-career workers aged 22 to 25 saw a 13 percent decline in jobs for roles most exposed to the technology, such as coding and customer service, while employment in occupations like nursing remained steady. The most common use of workplace A.I. is consolidating information or generating ideas, according to the Gallup survey, with more than 40 percent of respondents citing those applications. Other frequent uses include learning new things, automating basic tasks, identifying problems and interacting with customers. Chatbots are by far the most popular A.I. tool in the U.S. workforce, with more than 60 percent of workers naming them as their primary option. A.I. writing and editing tools came in second at 36 percent, followed by coding assistants and image, video and audio generators. Despite growing individual use, many employees remain unclear about their employers' A.I. strategies. Around 23 percent of surveyed workers said they don't know how their companies are implementing A.I. This group represents nearly half of the employees who are already using A.I. several times a year, suggesting many are adopting A.I. tools without clear insight into their employers' broader plans.