More than half (56%) of Gen Z workers feel guilty about using AI at work
Almost half (43%) of all employees feel guilty and 39% say using AI feels like cheating
34% hide their use of AI from their employer
TORONTO , July 7, 2026 /CNW/ – Employment Hero, the global AI-powered employment platform, today released new data showing the growing workplace paradox. Despite AI rapidly becoming an essential skill, many Canadian workers continue to associate its use with guilt, anxiety, and even fraud.
According to Employment Hero’s new AI Paradox Report, 43% of Canadian workers feel guilty about using AI to create jobs, rising to 56% among Gen Z workers. Nearly four in 10 (39%) believe using AI to complete some part of a job feels like cheating, and more than a third (34%) admit to hiding their use of AI from their employer. Additionally, nearly half (45%) of companies believe their employees use personal AI accounts for work, highlighting the growing challenge of “shadow AI.”
The findings suggest that Canada’s AI challenge is no longer simply a question of whether employees will adopt the technology. It’s about whether organizations can create a workplace culture where employees feel confident and confident in using AI openly, responsibly, and effectively.
Research suggests that the problem is not a lack of willingness to adopt AI, but rather a lack of confidence and support. Just 41% of Canadian workers believe their AI skills are sufficient for an AI-driven labor market, and 60% rate their AI capabilities as below average. More than half (51%) say their employers are doing little or nothing to develop AI skills, leaving many workers with no choice but to educate themselves. In fact, 58% learned AI skills through social media.
The findings come as the federal government aims to improve AI literacy and adoption through its AI for All strategy, highlighting the role employers must play in helping build worker confidence and capability.
Chris Pinkerton, managing director of Employment Hero Canada, says AI guilt highlights workplace challenges that companies have an opportunity to solve.
“This study shows that Canada’s challenge is not AI adoption, but trust in AI,” Pinkerton said. “Employees are already aware that AI is becoming an essential skill in the workplace, but many still feel the need to hide their use of AI because there is no clear guidance or confidence about what is acceptable. Successful organizations will not simply be the earliest to adopt AI, but those that create a culture where employees feel responsible, transparent, and confidently empowered to use AI.”
To help Canadian businesses turn AI guilt into AI confidence, Employment Hero has developed practical guidance for both employers and employees.
For employers:
Be clear where AI is encouraged. Eliminate uncertainty by setting clear expectations about which tasks AI can support, which tasks require human judgment, and which tools employees are allowed to use.
Talking about AI will become the norm. Encourage employees to openly discuss how and when they use AI, making transparency part of daily work rather than something to hide.
Invest in AI literacy. As AI becomes an essential skill in the workplace, you need to provide your employees with the training, guidance, and policies they need to use AI confidently, responsibly, and safely.
Create a room to experiment. Give your employees the opportunity to safely test AI with low-risk tasks and build confidence without compromising quality or sensitive information.
Position AI as a career skill. View AI not as a shortcut or replacement for human expertise, but as a capability that enhances productivity and future employability.
For employees:
Ask where AI fits into your role. Talk to your manager about when AI is appropriate, when additional review is required, and what responsible use looks like.
Be transparent about your use of AI. If AI helps you form drafts, brainstorm ideas, or summarize information, explain how it supported your work to build trust.
Always apply human judgment. Treat AI as a starting point, not a finished product. Check the facts, context, and tone before sharing your work.
Protect sensitive information. Use only approved AI tools and never upload sensitive customer, commercial, or personal information to unauthorized platforms.
Keep honing your AI skills. AI literacy is becoming an increasingly valuable career skill. Take advantage of training opportunities and continue to grow your knowledge as technology evolves.
As Canada accelerates its focus on AI adoption and workforce readiness, companies have an opportunity to help employees develop one of today’s most valuable workplace skills publicly, rather than in the shadows, says Employment Hero.
media contact Sean Benmore National public relations sbenmor@national.ca 416-676-6482
Employment Hero is the world’s leading authority on employment, offering the world’s leading employment operating system (eOS) that simplifies and optimizes every step of the hiring process. The company’s award-winning platform combines human resources, payroll, recruiting, and employee engagement tools with EH Work, a breakthrough employment super app that unifies career management and financial health. Serving over 350,000 companies worldwide and managing over 2.5 million employees, Employment Hero reduces administrative burden by up to 80%, enabling organizations to focus on their goals and build more productive, engaged teams. Employment Heroes is revolutionizing the job market, making hiring easier, more valuable and rewarding for everyone.
About research
Hiring Heroes, The Paradox of AI in the Workplace (2026). Survey of 3,290 business leaders and 5,454 employees in Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom. Held from April 23rd to May 7th in collaboration with research tech company Focaldata. Canadian sample: 1,001 business leaders. 1,500 employees
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