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The spreading use of artificial intelligence (AI) in business has generated much debate about its potential to replace many duties now done by humans — and also fears about the tech eliminating those jobs. But new data indicates that rather than spending time worrying about that risk, a majority of employees have been actively embracing AI, and using it to become increasingly valuable to their companies. That proactive approach to AI, and its positive benefits were a main finding in the recently released Global Workforce of the Future annual report by staffing and tech advisory company Adecco Group. Its survey of 35,700 global employees — 5,500 of whom were in the U.S. — showed 77 percent of respondents reporting use of the tech permitted them to perform tasks that had previously been beyond their reach. Another 71 percent of participants said nothing is holding back increased use of AI applications — up from 19 percent the previous year. That lead 37 percent of surveyed employees to describe themselves as already “future-ready” to keep pace as the tech continues changing their work, and ways they can serve employers. Significantly, vanishing jobs wasn’t the workplace mutation from AI that respondents cited most. Indeed, only 23 percent said they expected AI to eliminate company positions — a view shared by 20 percent of U.S. workers. By contrast, 76 percent of global participants believed the tech will create new jobs — an opinion also held by 90 percent of U.S. employees — with 70 percent of thinking it will redefine the ways they work (an evolution forecast by 73 percent of Americans). Featured Video An Inc.com Featured Presentation One consequence of most respondents viewing AI as an opportunity rather than a threat was the increased influence it had on their working lives in 2025. As a result, factors that topped the 2024 survey — including working flexibility and economic uncertainty — were pushed down the list by the spread and adoption of various forms of AI, which rose from the fifth to the first spot this year. Receiving more instruction, training, and guidance to use the tech more effectively for work were also top desires cited by participants. “Our research shows that three in four employees view AI as an opportunity, not a threat,” said Adecco Group CEO Denis Machuel in a foreword to the report. “In 2025, the workforce is more confident, ambitious, and ready for AI.” Still, the positive survey findings were partially offset by several concerns that employers should be aware of. For example, increased use of AI has not only left employees feeling confident and capable of doing more tasks than before, but also enjoying more flexiblility. On average, respondents said the tech saved them two hours of weekly work. While some participants said they used that time to check the quality and accuracy of content the tech produced, others said they invest the extra hours on upskilling, doing more creative work, and collaborating with colleagues. But at the same time, many respondents said they wanted more input and direction from employers on how to measure the impact of their use of AI for their company. Others said they’d similarly benefit by being briefed on and included in how the business intends to use AI in its strategic planning, which would allow them to more proactively adapt their jobs. “On one hand, there’s real excitement about what AI can do,” Machuel wrote. “On the other, there’s a need to set honest expectations about how it will change jobs in the long run. Getting this balance right means involving employees in the journey not just as technology adopters, but as co-creators of the future of work… AI and technology play an enabling role, but it’s clear they must be aligned with human needs, recognizing how a sense of purpose at work correlates directly to feelings of value and belonging.” What do business owners get from making that effort? In addition to employees increasingly embracing AI and improving their performance with it, they saw other benefits. For starters, fully 99 percent of respondents who described themselves as “future-ready” said they planned to stay with their current employers for the foreseeable future, compared to 53 percent of less AI-capable people. Meanwhile, the more employees said they’d been informed about how their work with the tech improved their own performance as well as their company’s results, the more inclined they were to go farther and faster with their AI upskilling. Progress is already being made in that area. The new survey found 41 percent of “future-ready” respondents reporting they were already involved with their employers’ efforts to redesign tasks and entire jobs to increased AI use, compared to just 24 percent in 2024. But participants in the recent study said they needs to go even farther in supporting their use and confidence in AI as an ally, rather than a rival. “Redesigning roles successfully will depend on open collaboration between employers and employees,” Machuel wrote. “Leaders have a responsibility to clearly communicate their vision, showing how people and AI in harmony can contribute meaningfully to the organization’s goals… There is no substitute for human connection. It will be people — not technology — who build resilient, adaptable workforces fit for the future.”
