For the first time, half of working adults in the U.S., as measured by Gallup, say they use AI at least several times a year in their jobs, up from 46% last quarter. Frequent use of AI is also increasing, with 13% of employees saying they use AI every day and 28% saying they use it several times a week or more.
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Organizational AI adoption rates are also increasing, albeit at a slower pace. 41% of employees say they are integrating artificial intelligence technology or tools into their organization to improve organizational practices, an increase of 3 points from last quarter.
A Gallup survey of 23,717 U.S. employees conducted February 4-19, 2026, suggests that the growing presence of AI is beginning to reshape workplace dynamics. Employees in organizations that have implemented AI are more likely to report disruptions and both positive and negative changes in staffing levels. Employees who use AI frequently say it improves their productivity, but evidence that AI has fundamentally changed the way work is done across organizations remains limited.
AI adoption coincides with a shift in the workforce
27% of employees at organizations implementing AI say their workplace has undergone major or very widespread disruptive change in the past year. In comparison, 17% of employees in organizations without AI report similar levels of disruption.
This disruption appears to be closely related to changes in the composition of the workforce. Employees in organizations implementing AI are more likely to report both expansions and reductions. Compared to employees in organizations without AI, they are more likely to say their organization is expanding its workforce by hiring new talent (34% vs. 28%) or reducing its workforce by laying off employees (23% vs. 16%).
Both organizations with and without AI are reporting similar trends toward workforce expansion across the board. However, the underlying staffing changes are more pronounced in organizations that have adopted AI, especially small and medium-sized employers.
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Staffing patterns driven by AI will vary among the largest organizations. Employees at organizations with more than 10,000 people implementing AI are slightly more likely to report a decrease in workforce size (33%) than an increase in workforce size (30%). This is in contrast to organizations of 10,000+ people that have not implemented AI. Among these organizations, 36% reported hiring and expanding their workforce, while 23% reported reducing their workforce.
Changes in the workforce within large organizations are likely to shape public perceptions of how AI will impact work, as these organizations employ the majority of employees and are among the most likely to adopt AI.
As AI adoption expands and organizations transform, workers are increasingly concerned about turnover. 18% of all U.S. employees say it is very or somewhat likely that their job will be replaced by AI or automation within the next five years. Among employees working in organizations that have adopted AI, that percentage rises to 23%.
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AI users report increased productivity but little transformation in their work
In organizations that have adopted AI, 65% of employees say that artificial intelligence has increased their productivity and efficiency, regardless of how often they personally use AI. Sixteen percent say the impact is very positive, while fewer than one in 10 say AI is having a negative impact on their job.
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Those who use AI frequently are more likely to report greater productivity gains, suggesting that employees who find clear use cases for AI will continue to use it and see greater results. Many employees report that AI in the workplace allows them to complete certain activities more efficiently, such as drafting written content, summarizing information, and generating ideas.
However, the benefits of using AI in the workplace appear to be focused at the level of individual tasks rather than broader workplace systems. Only about 1 in 10 employees in organizations implementing AI strongly agree that artificial intelligence has changed the way work is done in their organization.
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These findings are consistent with empirical evidence from company-level studies in the US, UK, Germany, and Australia, where CEOs have reported minimal impact of AI on productivity over the past three years.1
The reported productivity gap between individuals and companies suggests that while AI is helping many employees work more efficiently, many organizations have yet to fundamentally redesign their workflows, roles, and processes around AI.
AI productivity gains vary by leadership level and job type
Employee experience with AI also varies depending on the type of work they do. Among employees who use AI at least a few times a year, those in leadership roles are the most likely to report significant productivity gains. 21% of leaders say artificial intelligence has a very positive impact on their productivity, compared to 13% of individual contributors.
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These differences likely reflect both increased exposure to AI tools and more distinct use cases for the technology in leadership roles. Leaders are more likely to work in knowledge-based, remote-enabled roles where they can apply AI tools to tasks such as analysis, communication, and planning.
There are also differences depending on the type of job. Among employees who report using AI, healthcare workers and those in technical and professional roles stand out as early leaders with reported productivity gains.
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In contrast, workers in service jobs and office administrative support jobs are more likely to say that AI has little to no impact or a negative impact on their productivity.
A similar pattern is emerging in perceptions of broader workplace change. Leaders and employees in technical and professional roles are slightly more likely than other employees to say that AI has fundamentally changed the way work is done in their organizations. Even within these groups, only a few strongly agree that AI has changed the way work is done across organizations.
what it means
The use of AI in the workplace continues to grow across the U.S. workforce, with half of employees now reporting that they use artificial intelligence at least several times a year in their job roles. As business adoption of AI increases, employees in organizations implementing AI are also more likely to report disruptions and changes in their workforce. As AI becomes more pervasive, many organizations are still adjusting how they organize their work and manage staffing.
At the same time, most employees using AI report increased productivity and efficiency, especially in leadership and knowledge-based roles where AI can be easily applied to day-to-day work. But for many workers, these benefits manifest at the level of individual tasks rather than in the broader workplace system. While some employees report the impact of the transformation, relatively few say that AI has fundamentally changed the way work is done across the organization.
These findings suggest that the effects of AI are likely to unfold unevenly across roles, industries, and organizations. In the short term, in many workplaces, continued adjustments to staffing, workflow, and job design are likely to coincide with increased productivity for some employees.
For leaders, the changing workforce experience with AI highlights the importance of effectively managing the challenges of AI adoption. As organizations continue to integrate AI into their workflows, its long-term effectiveness may depend as much on how leaders guide adoption and redesign work processes as on the continued improvement of the AI tools themselves.
Prepare your organization for the AI-driven future of work.
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