A study commissioned by The Access Group and carried out by YouGov found that the majority of UK employees using artificial intelligence in the workplace have no formal training in artificial intelligence, raising serious questions about productivity, accuracy and accountability as AI adoption accelerates across UK businesses.
The study found that while 44% of employees surveyed currently use some form of AI tools in the workplace, how they use them reveals a highly informal skills environment. Among those using AI, nearly seven in ten (70%) say they are simply experimenting with tools in their day-to-day work, but fewer than one in five (19%) actively pursue AI training or courses. Another 30% learn through informal tip-sharing with colleagues rather than through systematic development.
Business decision makers are only slightly ahead. Across HR and business leaders surveyed, 68% are similarly in experimental mode, with just 32% participating in formal training, suggesting that an informal approach to AI skills is a cultural pattern.
Perhaps the most shocking fact is that employees are largely unaware of their own infection. Despite the majority having no formal AI education, only 3% cite a lack of skills to work with AI as their biggest fear in the workplace, indicating a gap not only in ability but also in self-awareness. The risks of unchecked AI use, such as errors, misuse, and accountability gaps, are therefore largely unknown to those most at risk.
“Data is telling us something important: Employees are comfortable with AI. Employees are enthusiastic, but they’re moving into truly new territory, and so are the leaders responsible for supporting them,” said Caroline Fanning, chief employee success officer at Access Group.
The key is for companies to respond with structure, guidance and a real desire to educate. At Access, we’ve worked to achieve this by creating a learning ecosystem where skill development is continuous, personalized, and directly tied to career aspirations.
“Because an AI-enabled workforce is not built by accident,” she added. “It is built by investing in talent at every level, from the front line to the boardroom. Organizations that thrive will not be those with cutting-edge AI tools; they will be the ones where employees know how to use AI tools with confidence and responsibility, supported by an HR function that acts as the architect of a future-ready business.”
Access is already doing this work. Since July, the company has launched more than 10 AI learning programs ranging from Claude 101 and CoPilot 101, Prompt Engineering, AI Change Management in Engineering Track, and Leadership AI Induction, and has implemented 119 AI apprenticeships, providing all employees with an AI role-related path to becoming future-ready.
The study also highlights that many people do not adopt and are at risk of being left behind. More than one in four employees (26%) say they have no plans to use AI at all, and a further 8% are only participating in AI pilot programs that are not yet available.
As AI reshapes workflows and work requirements, those who are not yet involved are increasingly at a disadvantage, and many may not receive the support they need. As AI changes the nature of work, only 33% of workers have sought government-backed retraining assistance, even though nearly four in 10 are not currently using the technology.
When asked what gives them the most confidence when using AI at work, employees cited practical reassurance over technical solutions. Guaranteed job security (18 percent) and proof that AI will make your job easier, not harder (9 percent) rank higher than formal training (7 percent), suggesting the confidence barrier is rooted in trust as much as skill. Understanding what AI can and cannot do (8%) was also highlighted, pointing to fundamental literacy gaps that access to tools alone cannot address.
On the employer side, the priority use case for AI in HR is clear. 44 percent of business leaders want AI to reduce the time they spend on day-to-day management, and 34 percent want faster access to insights from their talent data. But without a workforce that understands how to use AI tools effectively, these ambitions risk not being realized.
