The workplace is changing faster than ever, with AI leading the charge—often in ways we don’t expect. To cut through the hype, how can your business implement AI strategies purposefully?

In our recent webinar, Neha Mirchandani (VP, Corporate Marketing, GoTo), Dan Schawbel (Managing Partner, Workplace Intelligence), and an IT leader shared some practical insights you can apply to your business right away. The webinar examined key insights from employees and IT leaders in our global study, The Pulse of Work in 2025: Trends, Truths, and the Practicality of AI. If you missed it, here's a recap of the highlights.

6 surprising takeaways we uncovered

1. AI: Overhyped or overlooked?
   62% of employees think AI is significantly overhyped, yet 86% say they aren't using AI to its full potential.
   Despite these employees’ misconception that AI is all talk, the fact is that they're underutilizing it—a trend that spans generations, from Gen Z through to Baby Boomers.


2. Practical AI knowledge: The missing piece
   82% of employees admit they aren’t very familiar with practical usage of AI, but only 49% of IT leaders believe that's the case.
   What’s interesting to note is that most of the “digital natives” of Gen Z and Millennial employees say they have these knowledge gaps, though only half of IT leaders think this is true of their employees.


3. Missing out on trillions?
   U.S. businesses could be missing out on over $2.9T annually in efficiency—due to workers spending 13 hours per week on tasks that can be handled by AI.
   Despite this underuse, employees acknowledge that AI tools increase productivity and improve customer support as well as collaboration with coworkers, amongst other benefits.


4. The risky business of AI misuse
   54% of employees admit they have used AI for sensitive tasks, but 77% say they don’t regret doing this.
   What’s particularly alarming is that, while 77% of employees do not regret their misuse, 25% were aware that it’s explicitly prohibited by their employer. This underscores a critical challenge, not just in establishing policies, but also in ensuring their understanding and consistent adherence.


5. Improve AI policies, training, and safeguards
   Only 45% of IT leaders say their company has an AI policy in place; employees (81%) and IT leaders (71%) both believe AI needs better training and guardrails.
   AI training, the technology, and implementation, need to be personalized to the employee and the task. It’s important to convey “what’s in it for them” in using AI, as well as the downsides of misusing the technology. Employees want to embrace it, but they need to be set up for success.


6. Investing in AI is a no-brainer—if you can prove it
   77% of IT leaders say spending $20 a month or less per employee on AI would save 1 hour each day, yet 77% have challenges justifying investments in AI.
   The survey also found that almost half of IT leaders say their company isn’t measuring the ROI of AI tools very well—a figure that rises to over 60% in smaller companies. Ineffective measurement of ROI is likely hindering more AI investment.

So how can you apply these takeaways to your business?

Discover four practical steps for purposeful AI implementation (and more detailed business insights) in our on-demand webinar.