Most Employees Still Unprepared for AI at Work, Perceptyx Research Finds

October 16, 2025 at 06:00 AM EDT

TEMECULA, Calif., Oct. 16, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Generative AI is entering the workforce fast, but many employees aren’t ready for it. New research from Perceptyx, the AI company for Employee Experience (EX), finds that employees often lack the skills to use AI, question whether it’s being deployed fairly, and feel unsupported in adapting their roles. These gaps are most pronounced among individual contributors and younger employees, raising the risk that AI adoption will deepen divides instead of boosting productivity.

Drawing on insights from more than 3,600 employees across North America and Europe, the study warns that without building trust, transparency, and support into AI adoption, organizations risk losing workforce engagement and the business outcomes AI promises. The organizations that succeed won’t just deploy AI fastest—they will embed it into the employee experience, turning AI into a competitive advantage rather than a cultural divide.

Key findings:

Who is using AI?
71% of employees report some AI usage at work, but only 15% say their teams fully leverage it.

Who is being left behind?
Only 35% of individual contributors (ICs) currently use AI vs. 68% of managers and 82% of executives.

Who bears the workload and skill burden?
81–85% of managers and executives report their workloads have changed due to AI; 84–90% need new skills vs. only 67% of ICs.

Do employees feel informed and supported?
Individual contributors are least confident: Only 47% understand adoption decisions, 43% say AI-supported decisions are fair, and 47% feel their organization is transparent about AI use.

Where is trust in AI application the lowest?
Gen Z employees, despite heavy experimentation, report the lowest trust: 62% trust their organization to use AI ethically, vs. 72–74% of older generations.

What are employees most concerned about?
53% of all employees fear bias or discrimination in AI-driven decisions and 38% are unclear on how AI will affect their roles.

Together, these gaps underscore that without clear communication, support, and equitable access, AI adoption could stall and deepen workforce inequities.

“These findings show us that global AI adoption is not just a productivity story, it’s a stress test for organizational culture and trust,” said Brad Wilson, Global Head, Workforce Insights and Innovation at Perceptyx. “Organizations that ignore gaps in trust, fairness, and manager enablement risk disengaging employees, especially those closest to day-to-day execution. A human-centered approach to AI is essential to realize its full potential.”

The study also underscores the importance of proactive strategies:

Communicate clearly about AI tools and role impacts.
Equip managers to guide teams through AI-driven change.
Address skill gaps and equity issues to ensure all employees benefit.
Leverage employee experience tools that help bridge the gap from listening to taking action.

Without trust, transparency, and team-level enablement, AI adoption will stall. The organizations that succeed will integrate AI into the employee experience in ways that drive engagement, productivity, and long-term business impact.

This study is Perceptyx’s first large-scale, global benchmark of AI readiness in the workplace, providing evidence-based guidance for leaders on how to integrate AI into employee experience successfully.

About Perceptyx
Perceptyx is the AI company for Employee Experience (EX), trusted by more than 30% of the Fortune 100 to deliver people-powered growth. Built on two decades of behavioral science and the industry’s richest EX dataset, our platform helps organizations discover what matters, activate change, and grow their people—now supercharged by a new generation of AI agents.

With Conversational Listening, Narrative Analysis, and Employee Activation agents, Perceptyx delivers what no point solution can: a complete digital workforce for EX. Our Agentic AI framework moves beyond systems of insight to systems of outcomes—turning every employee signal into measurable impact for people and business alike.

For more info, or to speak with a member of our team, visit www.perceptyx.com.

Media Contact:
Laura Lombardi
Head, PR & Communications, Perceptyx
llombardi@perceptyx.com

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