Artificial intelligence (AI) has rapidly become embedded in workplace routines, with 78% of workers now using AI tools in their jobs and nearly two-thirds engaging with them daily, according to new research from SnapLogic. Yet beneath this widespread adoption lies a troubling divide in confidence and access that threatens to reshape who succeeds in an AI-driven economy.
The data reveals stark disparities in who’s using these tools. While 79% of managers report using AI, only 54% of non-managers do the same. Experience matters too: Workers with six to fifteen years in their roles show 82% adoption rates, compared to just 68% among those with more than fifteen years of experience.
Industry patterns are equally revealing. Financial services lead the pack, with 68% of AI users engaging with the technology daily. Education lags at 49%, with manufacturing at 65%, healthcare at 62% and retail at 59%. Across all sectors, employees interact with AI an average of 6.5 days per week — making it as routine as email for many workers.
Beyond basic AI tools, autonomous AI agents are making significant inroads. Half of employees already use AI agents, with 44% reporting effective deployment. Looking ahead, 69% express optimism about these tools, and 67% believe agents will make their jobs easier.
Despite predictions of worker resistance, sentiment toward AI remains overwhelmingly positive: 88% of respondents associate positive emotions with AI use, citing increased productivity (66%), creativity (59%), excitement (55%), and empowerment (49%). Negative emotions barely registered: Just 5% report stress, 4% confusion, and 4% frustration.
Half of the respondents believe they’re more likely to manage AI agents than people in their future careers, and 55% think managing agents would be easier than managing humans.
Still, confidence remains uneven. While 69% feel very or extremely confident using AI tools, 23% harbor concerns about safe usage, and 8% lack confidence entirely.
The manager-worker divide persists. Some 70% of managers feel very confident with AI, compared to just 43% of non-managers. Tellingly, 38% of respondents don’t encourage their teams to use AI agents because they don’t understand them well enough themselves.
Trust issues compound the problem. Nearly half (45%) believe AI use is stigmatized as lazy or untrustworthy, while 39% feel judged when using these tools. Still, 87% would trust AI to perform assigned tasks — not far behind the 96% who trust human colleagues.
As AI transforms from novelty to necessity, the emerging challenge isn’t adoption, the survey results revealed. It is ensuring workers across all levels have the confidence and training to use these tools effectively. Without addressing this gap, organizations risk creating a two-tiered workforce divided by AI fluency.
