A new Gallup poll (via Axios) suggests the internal AI adoption curve has a familiar shape: leadership first, everyone else squinting at the change log. Even as companies debate whether to mandate AI or let employees experiment, the people at the top are the ones reaching for it most often—at least in organizations where AI tools are actually available.
The numbers: in a February survey of 23,717 U.S. employees, daily AI use ticked up to 13% (from 12% last quarter and 10% the quarter before). But usage jumps sharply by role inside AI-enabled orgs: 67% of leaders say they use AI daily or a few times a week, versus 52% of managers, 50% of project managers, and 46% of individual contributors. Gallup’s read is practical, not mystical: mainstream AI maps cleanly to “desk-based” work that leaders and managers tend to do more of.
The flip side is anxiety. Across all U.S. employees, 18% think it’s very or somewhat likely their job could be replaced within five years due to new tech and automation; among employees in organizations that have adopted AI, that rises to 23%. Translation for agencies: if your clients are rolling out AI internally, employee sentiment is part of the brand story—because workforce unease travels fast, and it doesn’t need a media plan to go viral.
Read more at Axios.