By MATT O’BRIEN and LINLEY SANDERS
Updated: 5:01 AM PST, January 25, 2026
Art teacher Joyce Hatzidakis employs the AI tool Google Gemini in her high school class in Riverside, California, on January 22, 2026. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes)
Recent polling indicates that American workers have integrated artificial intelligence into their professional routines at an impressive rate in recent years.
According to a Gallup Workforce survey conducted this fall of over 22,000 U.S. employees, approximately 12% of employed adults report using AI on a daily basis. The survey reveals that about a quarter of respondents utilize AI frequently—defined as at least a few times a week—while nearly half engage with AI tools a few times a year. This marks a significant increase from 2023, when only 21% of respondents reported occasional use of AI. The uptake is largely attributed to the booming popularity of generative AI tools, fueled by the emergence of ChatGPT, which can assist with tasks ranging from writing emails and coding to summarizing long documents and generating images.
Gene Walinski, a 70-year-old Home Depot associate in New Smyrna Beach, Florida, is among those incorporating AI into his work life. He uses an AI assistant on his personal phone about every hour during his shift to provide better answers regarding supplies he doesn’t fully understand in the electrical department.
“I believe my job would struggle without it because I’d often have to say ‘I don’t know,’ which is not what customers want to hear,” Walinski stated.
AI Integration in Various Sectors
While regular AI use is increasing across multiple fields, those in technology-related occupations report a higher level of adoption. Roughly 60% of tech workers say they use AI frequently, with about 30% deploying it daily. The proportion of technology sector employees using AI daily or regularly has risen sharply since 2023, though there are signs that this rate may be stabilizing following a surge in adoption during 2024 and 2025.
In the finance sector, high AI use is similarly evident. Andrea Tanzi, a 28-year-old investment banker at Bank of America in New York, utilizes AI daily to synthesize documents and datasets, tasks that would otherwise consume hours of his time. He also leverages the bank’s internal AI chatbot, Erica, for administrative functions.
A majority of individuals in professional services, higher education, and K-12 education also report using AI tools at least a few times annually. Joyce Hatzidakis, a 60-year-old high school art teacher in Riverside, California, has experimented with AI chatbots to enhance her parent communications. “I can quickly draft a note without worrying about the wording, specify the desired tone, and then edit as needed. I’m definitely experiencing fewer parent complaints,” she remarked.
A separate Gallup Workforce survey from last year indicated that about 60% of employees using AI rely on chatbots or virtual assistants, while around 40% use AI for information consolidation, idea generation, or learning.
Hatzidakis initially used ChatGPT but transitioned to Google’s Gemini once her school district adopted it as the official tool. She has even sought its help with writing recommendation letters, noting the challenge of finding new ways to describe a student’s creativity.
Pros and Cons of AI Adoption
The promotion of AI integration in workplaces and educational settings is being heavily pushed by both the AI industry and the U.S. government. To justify the substantial investments made in energy-intensive AI computing systems, more organizations will need to adopt these tools. However, economists are divided on how much AI will enhance productivity or impact job prospects.
Sam Manning, a fellow at the Centre for the Governance of AI and co-author of studies on AI’s labor market effects, explains that workers most exposed to AI are typically those who can adapt easily due to their higher education, diverse skill sets, and greater savings, which can mitigate income shocks from job loss.
Conversely, Manning’s research identifies approximately 6.1 million U.S. workers who face significant exposure to AI but lack the ability to adapt. Many are involved in administrative positions, predominantly women, who tend to be older and live in smaller cities, making career shifts more challenging. “If their skills are automated, they may lack transferable skills for other jobs and have insufficient savings,” Manning warns. "An income shock for them could be far more detrimental."
Concerns About Job Security
Despite the increasing use of AI, a separate Gallup Workforce survey from 2025 found that few employees—only a small fraction—believe it is likely that technology, automation, robots, or AI will eliminate their jobs within the next five years. About half think it is “not at all likely,” although this figure has dropped from roughly 60% in 2023.
Rev. Michael Bingham, pastor of the Faith Community Methodist Church in Jacksonville, Florida, feels secure in his job. He recounted asking a chatbot about medieval theologian Anselm of Canterbury and receiving “gibberish” in response, asserting he would never rely on a “soulless” machine to craft his sermons. “You want a human being to be there for you in times of need,” Bingham remarked.
AI adoption remains less prevalent in service-oriented sectors such as retail, healthcare, and manufacturing. Home Depot did not require Walinski to use AI when he joined the team last year, but the company also did not prevent him from doing so, and he remains “not at all worried” about being replaced by AI. “The human interaction is essential in a store like mine. It’s all about the people,” he stated.
O’Brien reported from Providence, Rhode Island, and Sanders from Washington.
Gallup’s quarterly workforce surveys were conducted with a random sample of adults aged 18 and older, working full-time and part-time for organizations in the United States, who are members of Gallup’s probability-based Gallup Panel. The latest survey involved 22,368 employed U.S. adults and was carried out from October 30 to November 13, 2025. The margin of sampling error for all respondents is plus or minus 1 percentage point.
MATT O’BRIEN covers the business of technology and artificial intelligence for The Associated Press.
LINLEY SANDERS is a surveys and polls reporter for The Associated Press, developing and writing about polls conducted by the AP-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research and contributing to AP VoteCast.
