Gallup: Workplace AI usage nearly doubles in U.S.
WASHINGTON, D.C., UNITED STATES — Artificial intelligence is quietly becoming routine on the job. A new Gallup survey shows 40% of U.S. workers now use AI at least a few times a year, up from 21% in 2023. Weekly use rose from 11% to 19%, while daily use has doubled in just 12 months, reaching 8%.
The surge is concentrated in office-based roles. Twenty-seven percent of white-collar employees now lean on AI a few times a week or more, 12 points higher than last year.
Technology workers lead the pack, with half reporting frequent use, followed by professional services (34%) and finance (32%). By contrast, production and front-line workers have seen little change, slipping from 11% frequent use in 2023 to 9% this year.
Leadership matters, too. One-third of managers who oversee other managers (“leaders” in Gallup’s terms) are regular users, twice the rate of individual contributors.
Strategy gap clouds the benefits
“Unclear use case or value proposition” tops the list of obstacles to broader AI uptake, Gallup notes.
Although 44% of employees say their organization has begun integrating AI, only 22% have been shown a clear plan, and just 30% report any formal guidelines. That 14-point gap between implementation and governance leaves many staff improvising.
Even among current users, faith in the tools is cautious: only 16% strongly agree that the AI provided is truly useful. Experience makes a difference; 68% of employees who have used AI with customers say it improves interactions, compared with just 13% of non-users who believe the same.
Job security fears hold steady
Despite AI’s advance, workers are no more anxious about losing their jobs than they were two years ago. Only 15% think automation could displace them within five years, unchanged since 2023.
Concern is slightly higher in technology, retail and finance (about 20% in each), but a broad panic has yet to materialize.
Gallup’s data suggest clarity from the top could unlock greater value. When employees “strongly agree” that leaders have articulated an AI roadmap, they are three times more likely to feel fully prepared to work with the technology and 2.6 times more likely to feel comfortable using it.
