Managers experiment with AI while employees lag: Gartner urges HR to bridge the adoption gap

Managers try AI, staff lag behind: HR urged to help

Employees need guidance and support if companies really want to commit to AI adoption If you buy AI, employees will come and take a look, but they won't necessarily change the way they work. For that, you may have to get human resources involved. IT consultancy Gartner says as much in its recent report "Guide Managers to Effectively Integrate AI Into Employees' Work." The enterprise whisperer says that its July 2025 survey of nearly 3,000 employees showed that 46 percent of managers are experimenting with AI to improve their work, compared to just 26 percent of employees. A separate survey conducted at the same time found that just 14 percent of managers said that they didn't face any challenges encouraging their teams to use AI. AI tools, in other words, don't sell themselves (except perhaps in software development). From this, Carmen von Rohr, senior principal in Gartner's HR practice, concludes that chief human resource officers have relied too much on employees to integrate AI tools into their jobs. To improve AI adoption, CHROs are advised to focus on supporting managers to undertake the organizational change necessary to meet the expectations of senior leadership. More than any prior technology, Gartner argues, AI implementation requires change management. In other words, HR leaders need to focus on communication and sensitivity to employee needs. If managers rush to implement business transformation plans, they risk creating "operational and emotional resistance" among employees. Just as asking IT professionals to train their overseas replacements risks rebellion, urging employees to embrace AI coworking can create pushback, especially if accompanied by layoffs. Given that 46 percent of US voters believe AI will hurt the economy, according to a recent Data for Progress poll, some forethought seems advisable. Gartner would have CHROs help managers with their AI integration efforts by looking at the needs and expectations of different teams in terms of AI training and support. HR leaders should also prepare managers for potential emotional resistance from employees and for communicating effectively with senior leaders who may not have realistic expectations. In addition, the consultancy sees a role for HR leaders in clarifying how potential AI-related productivity gains should be allocated - a return on investment that the majority of CEOs still haven't seen. That recommendation follows from a July 2025 Gartner survey of 114 HR leaders that found a mere 7 percent of organizations offer guidance about how one should use time savings derived from AI tools. And before that question can even be answered, companies need to settle internal disagreements about how projected time saved should be allocated. Based on the survey, 55 percent of HR leaders preferred to see saved time applied to projects outside of core job roles, compared to just 28 percent of managers. Debating how AI's supposed productivity bounty will be spent seems premature, however, when organizations are still struggling to sell their workers on AI. ®

'Managers must find a balance': Report claims businesses might need to get HR involved to make workers use AI

* Managers play a crucial role in how effectively organizations deploy AI * HR teams need to support managers and help unlock AI-related business impacts * Companies also need to guide workers on what to do with the time they save when using AI Gartner has revealed new research claiming most workers are reluctant to get fully on board with AI, with around half (46%) of managers experimenting with artificial intelligence compared with just a quarter (26%) of regular employees. The research notes how AI isn't the silver bullet which will revolutionize productivity in the workplace, and workers aren't suddenly changing how they work after employing AI aids. And that's if they use AI tools at all - 86% of managers say they face some sort of challenge when it comes to encouraging teams to use the technology. Workers aren't jumping to adopt AI, it seems It seems many workers lack a lot of direction when it comes to using AI, with many organizations expecting employees to figure out how to use AI themselves. The Gartner report encourages managers to guide teams on how AI actually fits into their real-world processes. Additionally, only 7% of the companies surveyed provide guidance to workers on how they should use the time they save by using AI. Gartner also links employee pushback to layoffs - with many companies reducing workforces in response to rising costs and AI efficiencies, workers may fear that a mass AI rollout could threaten their jobs. "Thus far, HR has largely focused on empowering employees to explore, learn and innovate with AI and have overlooked the role of the manager in driving effective use of AI tools," Senior Principal Carmen von Rohr wrote. Looking ahead, the report urges HR departments to focus on supporting managers, who are seen are key drivers of AI adoption, with the right training, guidance and tools. "Once employees are saving significant blocks of time through AI use, that saved time will need to be effectively redeployed," von Rohr added, noting that HR should also help mangers identify how to capitalize on AI's productivity benefits to generate more business impact. Follow TechRadar on Google News and add us as a preferred source to get our expert news, reviews, and opinion in your feeds. Make sure to click the Follow button! And of course you can also follow TechRadar on TikTok for news, reviews, unboxings in video form, and get regular updates from us on WhatsApp too.