What Keeps Workers From Using AI on the Job?

While 4 in 10 workers surveyed for PwC’s Global Workforce Hopes and Fears Survey reported using AI tools at work at least weekly, making them an integral part of their work life, more than half of the almost 50,000 respondents said they used AI a few times a year or not at all, which was the case for 36 percent of workers.

The reasons standing in the way of even broader adoption of AI tools are manifold. Among all respondents, concerns about accuracy and quality were the most cited barrier to AI use at work, named by 25 percent of all respondents and by more than 30 percent of frequent AI users. In second place was the lack of opportunities to use AI, which 23 percent of workers identified as an inhibiting factor to broader professional adoption.

Interestingly, a perceived lack of opportunities to use AI was by far the most cited barrier among non-users at 34 percent. While there are certainly professions with limited potential for AI use, some of this may also be a lack of awareness for what AI tools and agents in particular are already capable of. Another important factor keeping workers from experimenting with AI is a lack of incentives. If workers aren’t recognized or rewarded for developing AI skills, many don’t see the point in doing so.