Slack Reveals What's Holding Workers Back From Using AI

AI is fast becoming a driving force in workplaces worldwide, promising productivity gains and unlocking innovation across industries. With this potential, it’s no wonder business leaders are racing to invest in AI and incorporate it into operations to stay competitive.

Yet, there’s an emerging challenge: getting employees to embrace AI tools. Despite the benefits, many workers hesitate to use AI in their roles. Recent research by Salesforce’s Slack reveals that nearly half of global desk workers feel uncomfortable telling their managers about using AI for routine tasks.

The Slack Workforce Index, surveying over 17,000 workers across 15 markets, highlights the concerns underpinning this hesitation. Many fear that using AI could be perceived as cheating or imply a lack of capability.

Leaders and workers on AI use

Although AI use in the workplace is prolific, much of the responsibility is seemingly falling on workers to navigate AI independently.

 “Too much of the burden today has been put on workers to figure out AI. It’s important that leaders not only train workers to use AI, but encourage employees to talk about it and experiment with AI out in the open," says Christina Janzer, Senior Vice President of Research and Analytics at Slack.

Christina therefore urges leaders to actively guide and encourage employees to experiment openly with AI, as greater clarity on AI’s role at work could remove barriers to its adoption.

Slack’s study also points to a misalignment between executive and employee expectations regarding AI’s benefits. While executives hope AI will allow employees more time for learning and innovation, many workers see it primarily as a way to tackle existing projects and administrative tasks.

Evidence from Slack supports the positive impact of leadership’s role in fostering AI use. Workers who received clear guidance on AI have seen a 13% increase in adoption since January, compared to just 2% among those left to figure it out alone.

Research from McKinsey backs this potential, predicting that AI could boost corporate profits by US$4.4tn annually. Meanwhile, Salesforce data shows that sales teams utilising AI are 1.3 times more likely to see revenue growth.

Uncertainty around AI and work

Amid the uncertainties around AI, employees recognise its career importance. In the UK, 72% of workers express a desire to gain AI expertise, although 65% have invested less than five hours learning it.

Globally, three in four workers say a company’s AI capabilities influence their job choices, and new market entrants are 1.8 times more likely to prioritise AI-enablement in their career paths. For employers, this skills gap poses a challenge—and an opportunity.

To address it, companies might consider comprehensive training programmes and clearer AI usage guidelines, fostering a culture of experimentation.

But perhaps the real efficiencies to come from AI are due to come in its next iteration: agentic AI.  

"The arrival of AI agents – with clearly defined roles and guidelines – will also help with adoption, alleviating the ambiguity and anxiety many workers feel around using AI at work," says Christina .

As AI continues to reshape the modern workplace, its potential to drive productivity and innovation remains undeniable. However, the path to widespread adoption is far from straightforward. The challenge lies not in the technology itself, but in overcoming employee hesitations and aligning leadership expectations with the realities of AI integration.

Crucially, the study reveals that proper guidance significantly boosts AI adoption. With executives providing frameworks, encouraging use, and preparing the ground work, employees can feel empowered to embrace what AI has to offer, fully.

With the right balance of support and strategic implementation, AI can become not just a tool, but a catalyst for future growth across industries.

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