Organizations are pouring time, budget, and attention into AI. But new data from our 2026 State of Workplace Empathy study suggests a huge blind spot in their AI initiatives: AI workforce readiness.
Today, only half of employees say they’ve received any kind of AI training. Meanwhile, 49% say they’ve been left to “figure it out” on their own with no training, direction, or support.
The narrative around AI often centers on what’s possible:
But employees are asking different questions:
And this uncertainty is causing a lot of concern around job security and career progression:
Yet these same employees are still optimistic about the potential of AI. Over two thirds of employees surveyed say that AI has accelerated their career and another 62% say it helps them work more strategically.
This intersection of uncertainty and optimism is what makes this moment so interesting. Today’s organizations don’t have an adoption problem. They have an workforce AI readiness problem. And that’s much easier to solve.
Read more about how the disconnect between the C-suite and employees plays into business continuity
AI workforce readiness is the degree to which employees have the skills, training, confidence, and organizational support needed to effectively work alongside AI as their roles evolve.
An employee may be using AI every day and still feel uncertain about how to apply it effectively. A team may have access to advanced tools but lack the training needed to use them confidently. An organization may report strong usage metrics while sections of the workforce remain convinced they’re falling behind.
Our data points to four signals leaders should pay attention to:
Only 51% of employees say they have received adequate employer-sponsored AI training. The other 49% report receiving limited training or being left to figure it out themselves.
Employees who receive adequate training are far more likely to say they’re confident in their ability to keep up with AI trends in their role.
When employees understand how to use AI effectively, they’re more likely to say it allows them to focus on higher-value work rather than creating additional administrative burden.
Some employees see AI as a career accelerator. Others see it as a source of uncertainty. Understanding what drives those differences may be one of the most important workforce challenges organizations face over the next several years.
Many factors influence how employees feel about AI. Training stands out as one of the most valuable investments employers can make to drive engagement and trust.
Employees who report receiving adequate AI training consistently report stronger outcomes than those who say they’ve largely been left to figure it out on their own.
Compared to employees with limited training, those who receive adequate employer-sponsored AI training are:
The takeaway isn’t that training solves every workforce challenge related to AI.
It’s that organizations appear to underestimate how much training influences the employee experience of AI.
When employees understand how AI applies to their role, they seem more likely to view it as an opportunity. When they don’t, uncertainty fills the gap.
For HR leaders, workforce readiness touches nearly every part of the employee experience, from career development and learning strategy to organizational change and employee wellbeing.
For benefits advisors and brokers, it represents a different kind of opportunity.
The question is no longer simply whether clients are investing in AI.
It’s whether they’re preparing employees for it.
That creates space for more strategic conversations:
These aren’t technology questions.
They’re workforce questions.
And they’re increasingly relevant as organizations move from AI experimentation to AI implementation.
For the past two years, the conversation has largely focused on speed.
Which organizations are deploying AI fastest? Which tools are being adopted? Which productivity gains are emerging?
The next phase may be less about speed and more about preparation.
Businessolver’s research suggests employees who receive adequate AI training are more likely to feel confident, optimistic, and capable of keeping pace with change. Yet nearly half of employees say that level of support is missing.
That gap represents both a risk and an opportunity.
The organizations that realize the greatest value from AI may not be the ones that adopt it first.
They may be the ones that do the best job preparing their workforce for what comes next.
