Seven in 10 employees worry that AI adoption could hurt their careers or cost them their jobs, according to a Visier report published Wednesday. Nearly half admit they exaggerate their AI use and expertise to managers, while more than half say their roles have already changed significantly in the past two years.
The business analytics firm surveyed 1,000 full-time employees and conducted additional interviews. The findings reveal a widening gap between how leadership views AI deployment and how workers experience it day to day.
Pressure to perform meets unclear strategy
Nearly 60% of employees said they are unsure of their employer's plan to address AI-driven role changes. At the same time, close to half reported feeling pressure to use AI at work. The combination creates an environment where workers feel compelled to project confidence they don't have.
Andrea Derler, principal of research and value at Visier, described the experience as highly individual. "It is extremely idiosyncratic, it depends on the individual's workflow, and that really matters, I think, for a senior leader in any of these organizations," she said.
Some employees reported that AI helped them complete tasks faster, collaborate, and develop new career opportunities. Others said they feel pressure to increase output and worry about the security of sensitive information.
The visibility gap between leadership and staff
CIOs and CISOs often lack visibility into how AI is reshaping daily work at lower levels, said Jacob Appleton, Visier's director of information security. When leadership pushes AI adoption without proper security foundations, risk accumulates quietly.
"If an organization's rushing ahead of where their employees are, or pushing their employees to rush ahead of where leadership is, then you have these risks building up in your organization without necessarily having that visibility," Appleton said.
Self-training remains the dominant path to AI literacy. A separate TrustedTech survey found that 41% of workers taught themselves to use AI tools, while only 15% credited employer-sponsored training. The Visier report identifies training, transparency, career advancement opportunities, and clearer communication as the factors that would boost employee confidence.
Why this matters for HR and management
Derler said managers should recognize that every employee is having a different experience with AI and investigate use cases individually. Without an environment where workers can be honest about what does and doesn't work, organizations waste time on performative adoption.
"If you don't allow people to see that, they will just give you a blanket answer: 'Oh yeah, I'm using AI for everything, and everything is better,'" Derler said. "Which means you're wasting time."
For HR leaders and managers, the data points to an urgent need for structured training pathways. Building internal capability through programs like AI for Managers Courses can help close the gap between leadership expectations and employee readiness. For senior HR executives shaping workforce strategy, AI VP HR Courses offer a framework for aligning AI adoption with talent development, rather than letting pressure and guesswork drive the process.
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