Half of all employees say they’ve been left to figure out AI on their own 

The AI transformation initiative is hot right now. According to McKinsey, 88% of organizations report using AI in at least one business function. But are the employees alright?  

The data points to “’not likely.”  

Nearly 40% of employees say they’re concerned about AI and nearly half say their employers have abandoned them to “figure it out” on their own, according to our 11^th State of Workplace Empathy study. 

These concerns aren’t unfounded: Nearly 30% of CEOs say their primary motivation behind AI investment is cost savings via reduction in headcount. 

Our POV on that stat? Not a good look. 

Is AI training a business continuity strategy?  

The “figure it out” strategy doesn’t work for everyone. It’s no surprise that employees with less access to AI training are more likely to feel concerned about what AI means for their future. 

When employees receive adequate AI training, they’re significantly more likely to say AI has accelerated their career progression, improved their confidence, and helped them focus on higher-value work. Employees without training report the opposite. 

The gap is hard to ignore: 

• 78% of employees with adequate AI training say AI has accelerated their career progression, compared with 51% of employees who were told to figure it out themselves. 

• 80% say they’re confident keeping up with AI trends in their role, compared with 57% of employees without sufficient training. 

• 73% say AI makes them optimistic about their future at work, compared with 49% of employees with limited training. 

So what? While companies are spending millions on AI investment, many are missing or ignoring the crucial workforce readiness gap in their strategy. And when employees don’t feel happy or supported, they’ll invest their time in finding a workplace that aligns with their needs. Even if it means taking a pay cut.  

Culture determines whether AI feels useful or threatening to your employees.  

Hot take: Workplace innovations are only work when your workforce is bought in.  

In empathetic cultures, AI looks more like opportunity. Employees are more likely to say they’ve received training, feel confident keeping up, and see AI helping their career. 

In toxic cultures, the tech reads differently. More disruption. More fear of falling behind. More “great, another thing I have to figure out.” 

Data to back it up:  

• Access to AI training at work correlates strongly with empathy in the workplace. Training access is uneven and varies wildly, reaching 87% among employees who also say their workplace is empathetic and plummeting to 33% among employees who say their workplace is toxic. 

• Support drives success and confidence. Those who get training report 1.5X gains in confidence and career progression at work.  

Read the full AI Special Report (for free) and let us know what you think of the data.  

Should your organization invest into AI training for employees? 

We hope the answer to this is obvious, but if not: Yes. 

We’re well into the start of a new way of working, where AI skillsets are quickly becoming the new norm. Soon, we can expect to see many job descriptions include this in their list of table-stakes skills and capabilities (recruiters, please weigh in). 

Today’s AI conversations are mostly focused on the technology: Can we do this faster? Cheaper? Better?   

But the bigger challenge may be the people. As companies continue to invest into AI technology, nearly half of employees say they’ve been left to their own devices to figure out how, when, and where to use AI at work. 

Talk about a risky strategy. 

Read the full findings from our 2026 State of Workplace Empathy study: www.businessolver.com/workplace-empathy