The number — 88% of employees use AI, only 5% use it to transform how they work

88% of employees now use AI at work, but most are stuck on basic tasks: search and document summaries. Only 5% use it to genuinely transform how they work, and just 12% receive adequate training. The consequence: up to 40% of productivity gains are left on the table when the technology lands on fragile talent foundations. The bottleneck is not the model, it is adoption. Before rolling out an AI tool, schedule dedicated training for the teams involved and set a measurable usage target at 90 days.

Source: EY, "2025 Work Reimagined Survey," 10 November 2025 (15,000 employees and 1,500 employers, 29 countries).