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By 2027, half of enterprises lacking a comprehensive AI people strategy will lose their top AI talent to competitors who prioritize workforce enablement over basic adoption, according to Gartner, Inc., a business and technology insights company.
The Gartner Global Labor Market Survey, conducted in 1Q26, surveyed 12,004 employees and managers across 40 countries, providing benchmarks on AI’s impact on work, worker sentiment and workforce enablement.
“The survey revealed that in the shift to an AI-powered workforce, most leaders are mistaking basic access or adoption metrics for transformation,” said Swagatam Basu, Senior Director Analyst, in the Gartner HR practice. “This ‘enablement illusion’ is hiding risks and draining ROI.”
Many leaders also lack strategic preparedness: A December 2025 Gartner survey of 197 CxOs and senior business leaders revealed that only 27% of executives have a comprehensive AI strategy, and just 20% believe their workforce is truly AI-ready.
Gartner has identified four workforce dynamics that organizations must address to achieve AI results:
Measuring AI Impact by Time Saved Misses the Real Value
Many executives are tracking AI success by hours saved, yet 19% of employees surveyed by Gartner in 1Q26 reported no time saved with AI. Organizations instead must focus on effective and diverse AI use: Employees who are proficient with AI across multiple use cases are twice as likely to be highly productive, 2.3 times more likely to deliver high-quality work and 3.2 times more likely to drive effective process improvements.
Leaders should move beyond tracking basic adoption and implement a “True ROI Index” focused on the depth and diversity of AI use. A central repository for AI use cases enables organizations to capture lessons learned and organizational knowledge while minimizing duplication and accelerating enterprisewide learning and productivity gains.
Many Employees Prefer Personal AI Over Company Tools
“Eighty-eight percent of employees with enterprise AI access also use personal AI tools for business tasks, often to save time,” said Diana Sanchez, Senior Director Analyst, in the Gartner HR practice. “While hybrid AI users are 1.7 times more likely to report significant time saved over those using only enterprise solutions, this behavior increases corporate data risk and also drives attrition risks with critical talent.”
CIOs and CHROs must partner to audit and improve the user experience of enterprise AI tools to reduce shadow AI, protect data and retain talent. In parallel, CHROs should clarify AI governance and decision rights, ensuring HR is represented in governance bodies to proactively manage people-related risks and workforce impacts.
Major AI Promises Are Not Reaching Most Employees
Although most employees are offered enterprise AI, 73% of highly productive users are managers or executives. Individual contributors – those responsible for the majority of automatable tasks – are often underserved with support and guidance.
Without support and guidance for individual contributors, AI’s benefits remain concentrated at the top, limiting enterprisewide productivity and impact boosts.
To bridge the utilization gap separating individual contributors from leadership, CHROs should provide targeted tools and training to build managerial confidence and capability. Managers are best positioned to integrate AI into daily workflows, provide context on how to work alongside AI tools, and encourage experimentation and creativity.
Absence of Psychological Safety Is Slowing AI Adoption
Widespread anxiety about AI-driven job loss is undermining productivity and slowing adoption throughout the workforce. AI adoption is a culture issue, not just a training issue; standard software training and technical learning do not improve workforce sentiment or build trust.
“Employees with a positive outlook toward AI are 3.4 times more likely to be highly productive,” said Basu. “The most effective drivers of positive AI adoption are employee confidence in their current and future roles, and transparent, ongoing communication about how AI will be used and its impact on jobs.”
Leaders need to provide clear communication about how jobs and skills will evolve with AI and set clear human-AI collaboration norms to reduce anxiety about job preparedness. Regular trust pulse surveys should include monitoring workforce sentiment around AI and leaders must address concerns early and proactively.
