By Suzanne Blake

Copyright newsweek

The majority of employees say they don’t know how to adopt artificial intelligence, according to a new survey by The Harris Poll on behalf of MasterClass.In the report, 49 percent of respondents said they feel direct pressure to adopt AI, yet 55 percent said they don’t know where to start.Why It MattersArtificial intelligence has changed the larger workforce and business landscape in America, with most companies looking to employ it as a way to boost productivity.But unclear rules and policies around the technology have led to some confusion among workers. A previous study from Howdy.com found that 16 percent of professionals sometimes pretend to use AI.What To KnowIn the MasterClass survey of nearly 1,700 U.S. workers, 66 percent said they had to teach themselves AI on the job.That’s in addition to 54 percent who say their employers aren’t providing adequate AI training.The percentage was roughly the same among men and women, at 57 and 50 percent, respectively. Meanwhile, 57 percent of Gen Z, 53 percent of millennials and 53 percent of Gen X professionals said they were going without proper AI workplace training.”In many ways, the rise of AI in recent years is similar to the same integration environment involving social media nearly 20 years ago,” Alex Beene, a financial literacy instructor for the University of Tennessee at Martin, told Newsweek. “Whereas some employers with more tech-savvy employees were able to easily adapt to utilizing a new medium for communication and marketing, others took years to grasp how to use it effectively.”Reza Hashemi, the CEO and founder of Binj and ZEROin AI, said there’s a perception that AI adoption is synonymous with career security, but many organizations often overestimate how seamlessly the new technology fits into daily workflows.”Long term, if businesses don’t bridge the gap between hype and practical application, they risk creating a culture of fear and superficial adoption instead of true innovation,” Hashemi previously told Newsweek.What People Are SayingHR consultant Bryan Driscoll told Newsweek: “Most employees aren’t struggling with AI itself – they’re struggling with employers who won’t equip them. Workers are told to figure it out without training, support, or guardrails, while leadership races to show they’re innovative. Forcing workers to self-teach under pressure is a short-sighted gamble that reveals a hollow commitment to development.”Beene told Newsweek: “With AI, we’re seeing businesses accustomed to a decades-long workflow now struggling to see what AI would truly change and benefit in their operations. Much like with social media, these employers will eventually find which methods best suit them, but don’t expect it to be rapid for all.”What Happens NextIn the next few years, companies that don’t properly address AI could reduce the trust of their employees, Driscoll said.”Long term, this isn’t just poor management. It’s a recipe for widening inequality and eroding trust in the workplace,” Driscoll said.