Workers' confidence in AI fell even as adoption rose, studies and firms say

A January ManpowerGroup study found that for the first time in three years workers' confidence in AI declined, dropping 18% while AI adoption grew by 13% year over year, a divergence that employers and analysts say is prompting businesses to rethink how they roll out AI tools. Practitioners describe a gap between AI promises and everyday results.

Tabby Farrar, head of search at UK agency Candour, said AI can generate product lifestyle imagery but "hallucinates or misses key points" on tasks like executive summaries, and that refining prompts can take as long as doing the work manually. Farrar added, "As a manager, I'm trying to get the team more on board with AI stuff, because it's the future of so many industries," and noted staff frustrations: "There's just so many people going, 'I have lost two hours of my day trying to make this thing work.'" Other research paints a similar picture of limited business impact.

An EY report found that while nine in 10 employees use AI at work, only 28% of organizations can translate that use into "high-value outcomes." Mara Stefan, VP of global insights for ManpowerGroup, warned that "You can't have an intimidated workforce and be fully productive. That anxiety is going to cause real problems." Experts point to misaligned expectations, inadequate training and the psychology of change.

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