65% of Employees Are Excited About Using AI at Work: Gartner Survey

Nearly two-thirds of employees are enthusiastic about using artificial intelligence in their day-to-day work, but organizational and cultural barriers are preventing many from translating that interest into real productivity gains, according to new research from Gartner.

A Gartner survey of 2,986 employees conducted in July 2025 found that 65% of workers are excited about using AI at work, challenging a common narrative among senior executives that employee resistance is the primary reason AI investments fail to deliver business value. Instead, the data points to a different problem: 37% of employees said they do not use AI tools even when they are available because their colleagues are not using them.

The findings suggest that rushed, top-down AI rollouts—often driven by executive urgency—are creating hesitation among employees rather than momentum. According to Gartner, many organizations are deploying AI technologies without adequately addressing workforce readiness, collaboration norms, or the human impact of AI-enabled work.

“Often AI deployment decisions are being made without any involvement of HR,” said Eser Rizagolu, Senior Director Analyst in Gartner’s HR Practice. “This leads to poor adoption, misaligned expectations between employees and executives, and ultimately, organizations not realizing significant business value from AI.”

The research highlights a growing disconnect between enthusiasm for AI and actual usage. While employees are broadly optimistic about AI’s potential, many are reluctant to be early adopters in environments where peers and managers are not visibly engaged. This dynamic can stall adoption even when tools are technically accessible and well-funded.

To bridge this gap, Gartner emphasizes the need for a stronger role for chief human resources officers (CHROs) in AI strategy. Rather than focusing solely on compliance, security, and risk, AI governance frameworks should also address employee experience, trust, and learning pathways. Gartner argues that positioning AI as a workforce issue—not just a technology initiative—can help organizations unlock higher adoption and stronger returns.

The firm also recommends that organizations pilot AI tools with employees who are both digitally curious and highly collaborative, allowing teams to demonstrate practical value before scaling deployments. These early pilots can help prove how AI augments everyday work, particularly in roles centered on consuming information, coordinating workflows, communicating insights, or creating new content.

As AI solutions mature and move beyond pilot stages, Gartner advises organizations to segment employees based on their attitudes and behaviors toward AI. Tailored learning and enablement programs, informed by real usage data, can help convert initial enthusiasm into sustained adoption across the enterprise.

Gartner’s findings underscore a broader message for enterprise leaders: enthusiasm for AI already exists in the workforce. The challenge now lies in aligning leadership urgency, governance, and people strategies so that excitement turns into consistent, value-generating use of AI at scale.