Most executives have no idea how many employees are actually using AI

Business leaders are deluding themselves when it comes to enterprise AI integration, with many believing they're further ahead than they are.

According to data from Multiverse, more than half (59%) of leaders believe their employees collaborate with AI every day, yet only 42% of employees report actually doing so.

In terms of AI autonomy, the disparity is wider, with 23% of CEOs believing employees are already delegating entire tasks to AI, but only 8% of employees saying they actually are.

The perception gap is even greater when it comes to data analysis for decision making, with 58% of leaders thinking staff are using the technology on this front, but only 36% of workers agreeing - a gap of 25 percentage points.

Meanwhile, there's a significant gap when it comes to automating repetitive tasks, an 18-percentage-point gap for optimizing multi-stage processes, and a 15-percentage-point gap for performing simple admin tasks.

Senior workers are flocking to AI

Multiverse noted that AI use is greater amongst more senior workers, with 52% of mid-level workers saying they collaborate with AI daily, while only 21% of junior employees report doing the same.

This disparity, the firm noted, persists across management levels, with nearly half (48%) of middle managers using AI on a day-to-day basis compared with just 20% of individual contributors.

“AI is not a monolithic tool, and its application varies wildly between a junior developer, a middle manager, and a CEO. The 30% gap in adoption we see between seniority levels is a clear signal that the one-size-fits-all approach to AI is failing," said Gary Eimerman, chief learning officer at Multiverse.

"To bridge this divide, businesses must move beyond generic training and implement custom AI upskilling paths tailored to the unique daily workflows of every individual.”

Execs need to lead by example

Currently, leaders aren't properly prepared to guide their organizations through AI transformation. More than half (55%) of leaders said they have received less than five hours of formal AI training from their organizations, for example.

Similarly, 58% say they're forced to rely on informal experimentation with tools like ChatGPT just to teach themselves the basics.

Workers at all levels are concerned about this lack of training, with 85% of leaders and 78% of employees agreeing that more frequent training is essential to keep pace with the current rate of change.

Multiverse said the answer is to introduce an applied learning strategy. By developing custom AI frameworks aimed at addressing the specific needs of individual workers, leaders no longer need to fly blind.

AI training is a murky area for many organizations, with recent research from SAP indicating that only four-in-ten UK businesses have given their staff comprehensive AI training, despite rising investment in the technology.

While leaders believe AI can deliver returns faster than other technologies, SAP found just 7% of organizations have adopted an enterprise-wide AI strategy.

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