'Implementation gap' | AI acceptance on the rise, but workers remain overwhelmed and unsupported

UK organisations are failing to keep pace with the workforce support required to successfully embed AI, according to new research.

While optimism around AI continues to rise, workers are more cautious and less confident about AI than this time last year, says Henley Business School’s World of Work Institute.

The survey of 2,900 full-time UK workers from 29 business sectors across the UK shows that 58% are optimistic about AI at work, compared to 56% when the same question was asked in 2025. But this optimism isn’t translating into confidence or capability, with 61% of respondents still feeling overwhelmed (61% in 2025), suggesting AI related ‘change fatigue’ is impacting the workforce.

When asked about the overriding feeling around AI at work, ‘cautious’ claimed the top spot, with 28% of workers selecting this sentiment compared to 26% last year. At the same time, a high proportion of workers (60%) said their employer doesn’t have, or they are unsure if they have, AI guidelines (compared to 68% last year) - highlighting the gap between the adoption of AI and the failure to upskill the workforce and implement safeguards.