Sponsored Content — (StatePoint) Most companies and their employees are already using AI.
If you own your own business or are responsible for leading a team, the big question is: Do you know what tools your employees are using? How often; and whether any of these are actually improving your business?
If you’re not sure, you’re not alone. And that uncertainty is a serious risk, according to new research.
Larridin’s Q1 2026 Enterprise AI Report surveyed 364 business leaders across 16 industries. Despite huge investments and constant conversations about AI, most organizations operate without a clear line of sight. They’re buying tools. They’re not measuring results.
Here are some numbers to stop at: 45.6% of organizations don’t know their workforce’s AI adoption rate. You can’t tell who’s using AI, how they’re using it, or what impact it’s having.
That’s not innovation. That’s a guess.
Your team is already using AI – with or without your approval.
You might think that the use of AI will follow formal deployment in your organization. In reality, it often starts at the individual level.
The average company currently has 23 different AI tools in active use. Almost half (45%) were hired independently by employees without formal procurement or IT review.
Our team members have found a tool to help you. they start using it. A few colleagues may participate, but the leader never hears about it.
This is what researchers call unauthorized or “shadow” AI, and it poses real risks.
• Employees may paste sensitive business data into consumer AI tools with unclear security protections.
• Multiple departments may pay for duplicate tools that do the same thing.
• High-impact workflow improvements can remain siled because no one is tracking AI usage or sharing results.
Employees continue to innovate. But without visibility, you can’t scale what works and you can’t control what doesn’t.
Executives think they have visibility. Managers see something different.
When asked if executives were fully aware of their use of AI, 92.4% said yes.
When the same question was asked of managers who oversee day-to-day operations, confidence dropped to 76.3%.
This is a 16-point gap between leadership perception and operational reality.
what’s happening?
Many leaders equate “authorizing a subscription” with “understanding how the subscription is being used.” But knowing what you’ve purchased isn’t the same as knowing how your team is using AI every day, or whether they’re using other tools that you haven’t approved.
Visibility requires more than just an invoice.
AI policy is not the same as AI control
Most companies responded quickly to the rise of AI by drafting policies.
• 69% say they have AI risk and compliance policies in place.
• 81% say they are satisfied with guardrails.
On the surface, that sounds reassuring.
However, more than a third of these organizations admit that their governance is inconsistent and lack clear visibility into AI-related risks.
In other words, many companies have created the necessary policies. Few people built systems to enforce it.
Policies without oversight create a false sense of security.
Improving productivity doesn’t happen automatically
You’ve probably heard bold claims that AI saves you time every week. For most workers, that hasn’t happened yet.
According to the report:
• 85.7% of employees save less than 10 hours per month using AI.
• Only 6% save more than 20 hours.
What separates these two groups? Training.
Organizations investing in formal AI training programs report:
• 2.7x higher proficiency
• Productivity increased by 3.2x
The best-performing teams use AI to do more than just draft emails and summarize documents. They redesign their workflows. They rethink the process. They are integrating AI into the way they work.
Access to tools is no longer a bottleneck. The ability.
What you can do now
The reassuring thing is that this is not primarily a technology issue.
Only 15% of organizations cited inadequate technology as their biggest barrier. A majority (58%) pointed to unclear ownership and fragmented responsibilities.
Simply put, no one within a company truly owns AI.
If you want better results, start here.
1. Audit what is actually being used
Ask your team what AI tools they use, including free tools and personal accounts. Don’t assume. confirm.
2. Assign clear ownership
Appoint a responsible leader. This could be an operations leader, a department head, or a dedicated AI owner. Someone needs to track usage, risks, and consequences.
3. Measure results, not activities.
“Utilization of AI” is not an indicator. Track time savings, cost reductions, revenue impact, quality improvements, and risk exposure.
4. Invest in structured training
Training doubles your ROI. The data is clear. Organizations that successfully teach AI see dramatic improvements in performance.
AI isn’t going away. Companies that are making progress aren’t necessarily spending more; they’re managing it better.
• They know what is being used.
• They know who owns it.
• They know what the consequences will be.
If you can’t answer these three questions today, this is your chance.
Based on the Larridin State of Enterprise AI Q1 2026 report, a survey of 364 business leaders across 16 industries conducted from December 2025 to January 2026. Download the full report at larridin.com/state-of-enterprise-ai.
Larridin is an AI impact intelligence platform that enables companies to track their teams’ AI adoption and the ROI of their AI investments.
Photo credit: (c) demaerre / iStock via Getty Images Plus
