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Nearly 1 in 3 workers admit to sabotaging their company's AI strategy, report finds
29% of workers admit to sabotaging their company's AI rollout, including feeding data to unauthorized tools and skewing performance metrics. Gen Z leads resistance at 44%, while 60% of executives plan layoffs for staff who won't adopt AI.
Nearly 30% of Workers Sabotage Company AI Rollouts, Survey Finds
A new survey of 2,400 workers across the U.S., U.K., and Europe reveals that 29% admit to sabotaging their company's AI strategy. The report, conducted by generative AI company Writer and research firm Workplace Intelligence, surveyed 1,200 C-suite executives and 1,200 employees ranging from individual contributors to managers.
Employees resist in measurable ways. Some ignore AI guidelines, skip training, or refuse to use company tools. Others take more extreme steps: feeding sensitive company data to unapproved public AI systems or tampering with performance metrics to make the technology appear less effective.
Gen Z Shows Strongest Resistance
Among Gen Z workers surveyed, 44% admitted to sabotaging their company's AI rollout. The report identifies "a strong undercurrent of resistance among younger workers," which reflects their experience navigating a tight job market with few entry-level positions.
Young professionals have adapted by taking on side hustles, part-time work, and switching college majors to protect their careers from AI displacement. This defensive posture carries into the workplace.
Fear Rooted in Real Job Losses
Employee concerns about job security are not speculative. In March, AI accounted for 25% of job cuts across the U.S. Workers hit by AI-driven layoffs also take longer to find new positions, according to a Goldman Sachs report.
Employees cite three main reasons for resistance: fear of job loss, dissatisfaction with their company's AI tools or strategy, and frustration that the technology has diminished their value and creativity.
A Critical Gap Between Executives and Staff
The survey reveals a significant disconnect between how executives and employees view AI literacy requirements. While 24% of employees fear being laid off if they don't become expert AI users, 60% of C-suite executives confirmed they plan to lay off employees who can't or won't use AI.
This gap suggests that executives are signaling a harder line on AI adoption than employees perceive. The message isn't landing as intended-or employees are hearing it clearly and choosing resistance.
For executives developing AI strategy, the survey points to a workforce management challenge that extends beyond tool adoption. Without addressing underlying concerns about job security and the perceived value of employee contributions, resistance will likely persist. AI adoption strategies that account for workforce concerns may prove more effective than rollouts that treat resistance as a compliance problem alone.