Survey: Workplace AI Training Not Keeping Pace with Increasing Adoption

A new survey finds workers saying that AI-related training is not keeping pace with the technology’s increased workplace adoption.

In a recent poll conducted by national nonprofit Jobs for the Future (JFF), 36% of more than 3,000 respondents said they have the training and resources they need to use artificial intelligence in their jobs, compared to 45% of workers saying the same when JFF conducted a similar survey in 2024.

According to a JFF statement, reported uses of AI for research (41%), learning and training (38%), and innovation (37%) increased by at least five percentage points from 2024 to 2025, while the use of AI to generate content dropped from 37% to 31%.

The survey suggests that workers are recognizing “shifting skill needs and the need to upskill,” according to JFF, which found 47% of workers reporting a need to acquire new skills due to AI’s impact.

Close to 30% said they need to acquire new AI skills within the next year, while just 7% of respondents noted that AI is not significantly changing the importance of any skills, “down sharply” from 42% a year ago, according to JFF.

Overall, the research finds optimism about AI’s impact on workers on the wane. In 2024, for instance, nearly half of more than 2,700 employees reported feeling optimistic about AI’s effect on workers. In the more recent poll, 39% expressed the same optimism.

“As it becomes ubiquitous in our working lives, AI still has the potential to help more people access quality jobs, practice new skills, and build sustainable livelihoods,” said Ben Pring, vice president of JFF’s Center for Artificial Intelligence & the Future of Work, in a statement.

“But the new survey shows growing concern about the pace of AI adoption and a clear gap in employer support. Workers want to be part of the transition—and we risk widening gaps if they are not given the tools and voice they need to engage.”