You knew we couldn’t go too long without some more AI stories.
According to a Coda survey of 1,000 adults, more than half of employees say their employer has provided access to AI-powered tools. Still, only 1 in 5 employees are confident in their ability to write meaningful prompts.
According to a study by Asana, 26% of workers fear being viewed as lazy for using AI tools, while one in five feel like frauds for using the technology. Additionally, 92% of workers are concerned about AI being used unethically. Only 30% of US and 20% of UK knowledge workers reported their companies having established policies or guidance around AI usage at work. 45% of US respondents want to use AI for brainstorming, while 48% of employees want more guidance from their employers on how to use AI.
Or this one: only 13% of employees have been offered any AI training in the past year, according to Randstad’s Workmonitor Pulse research. The study found that younger staff value learning and development more highly than flexibility at work and company culture. They are more likely to quit if not offered learning and development opportunities.
Or, this. Less than 15% of organizations have a policy or training for staff to use generative AI technology successfully, according to new research by CybSafe. The study found that 56% of respondents do not have a policy, while 14% do not know if they have one. Furthermore, 10% stated they have access to general information, and only 7% of respondents said they had training on the topic. The research also found that 64% of generative AI-using office workers have entered work information into a generative AI tool, with 38% admitting to sharing data they wouldn’t casually reveal to a friend in a bar.
Generative AI is being used to its full potential by 70% of Gen Z, according to a survey by Salesforce. The study found that 65% of generative AI users are Millennials or Gen Z, while 68% of non-users belong to the Gen X or Baby Boomer generations. 38% of generative AI users engage with tools like ChatGPT for “fun” and “messing around,” despite the potential for AI skills to help with job searching and work tasks. However, the study also found that 75% of users surveyed said they are eager to use AI to “automate tasks at work” and to “write work communications,” such as email, while 65% of respondents said they want to use AI to “synthesize meeting notes.”
The McKinsey Global Institute forecasts a range of eight to 27 years for the widespread adoption of generative AI applications.
Let’s make this tangible to an industry. In healthcare, A poll of 3,317 adults found that 40% of those aged 18 to 34 said they would be comfortable with a primary care appointment led by AI, compared to 24% of adults 65 and older. However, people vastly prefer medical professionals to AI when it comes to specific, common healthcare needs. For example, by a margin of 84% to 13%, respondents preferred a medical professional for prescribing pain medication. For diagnosing a rash in a sensitive area, the margin was 81% to 15%. The narrowest margin—69% for a professional versus 28% for AI—was in managing diet. Medical professionals are more ambivalent about the benefits of AI, with one-third saying they thought AI would cause more harm than good over the next five years.
Why do we care?
Story time. Everyone is still trying things. The younger you are, the more you mess around with this technology without much guidance from employers or training. That messing around is leading to confidential information being put into models,
And you have between eight and twenty-seven years before widespread adoption.
What stands out from these studies is a glaring disconnect between the rapid advancement of AI tools and the preparedness and confidence of their users. There’s a tangible lack of proficiency among users, who are caught between the allure of automation’s convenience and the ethical and image-related implications of AI reliance.
And why I’m so interested in this space — it’s about human readiness, adaptability, and the profound need for education and ethical guidelines—all excellent services.