More American workers are experimenting with artificial intelligence in their jobs, according to a new Gallup survey, but the study also finds skepticism that persists across workplaces. The poll, conducted in February and discussed by the Associated Press on April 13, shows both heavier use among some employees and rising worries among others about how the technology could affect employment.
The survey found that the use of AI at work now splits into distinct groups. Roughly 3 in 10 employees described themselves as frequent users, meaning they use AI daily or a few times a week, while about 2 in 10 described themselves as infrequent users, using AI tools at work a few times a month or a few times a year.
Among employees whose organizations have adopted AI, many report benefits they tie to their day-to-day work. Gallup reported that about 4 in 10 workers said their organization has adopted AI tools or technology to improve organizational practices, and about two-thirds of those workers said AI had an “extremely” or “somewhat” positive impact on their individual productivity and efficiency. Workers using AI in management roles were more likely than individual contributors to report at least “somewhat” positive effects on productivity and efficiency, the poll found—about 7 in 10 leaders who use AI at least a few times a year said it made them more efficient, compared with just over half of individual contributors.
Some workers also described using AI as a support tool while still expecting humans to remain central to their work. Social worker Scott Segal said he regularly uses AI to find information that helps connect elderly and other vulnerable patients to health care resources in northern Virginia, while he said the human connection is important. Segal, 53, said, “I’m planning ahead,” adding, “I think everyone who works in a replaceable field or trade should be planning ahead.”
At the same time, Gallup reported that AI remains far from universal adoption. About half of U.S. employees use AI only once a year or not at all. For workers who say they have AI available through their companies but do not use it, the poll found several reasons: 46% said they prefer to keep doing the work the way they do it now, while about 4 in 10 non-users cited ethical opposition to AI, data privacy concerns, or a belief that AI cannot be helpful for the work they do.
Some workers also pointed to concerns about accuracy or preparedness. Elizabeth Bloch, a labor and employment attorney, said she has used ChatGPT to help draft letters or emails “in a diplomatic way because it’s a very adversarial profession and sometimes you get heated.” She also said she tried using AI for legal research but found it prone to hallucinations, or making up false information, even when using AI tools custom-built for legal work. Bloch said she worried other lawyers who struggle to find and cite relevant case law would end up “going to be bad at using AI, because you’re not using the right prompts,” leading judges to sanction them for false citations.
The poll also highlights how worry about job displacement can increase even as AI use rises. Gallup reported that 18% of U.S. workers say it is “very” or “somewhat” likely their current job will be eliminated within the next five years because of new technology, automation, robots or AI, and that the share was up from 15% in 2025. Workers at companies that have adopted AI were even more likely to express that concern, with 23% saying it is at least “somewhat” likely their job will be eliminated in the next few years.
For Segal, that concern feeds into contingency planning tied to what he does now. He said that if AI replaces him, he plans to start a “health care chaperone service” that physically escorts patients from one appointment to another, especially for those who have been sedated and lack family or others to pick them up. Segal said, “I don’t think that’s something that will be replaced for another maybe 10 or 15 years, until robots are embodied with AI,” and he added, “I do believe that AI is going to displace most people’s employment functions and I question what people will do for livelihood at that point.”