- The total number of AI users is actually stagnating, according to a major new report
- Regular users have increased slightly, indicating more use cases
- Companies are also focusing on strengthening their databases.
New research from Gallup has claimed that AI adoption could actually be stagnating after an initial burst of enthusiasm, with daily AI usage down just two percentage points in the fourth quarter of 2025 and frequent AI usage down three percentage points quarter over quarter.
In fact, the report found that the total number of AI users remained stable, with half (49%) of American workers saying they never use AI in their role.
The numbers also highlight sector biases, with technology, financial and professional users being the most likely to use AI, along with education such as college, university and kindergarten through 12th grade.
How many workers are actually using AI?
The biggest increase came from so-called remote-capable roles, or those that are desktop-based, which more than doubled from 28% in 2023 to 66% in 2025. Non-remote-capable roles appear to lag around two years, at 32%.
Gallup also found that leaders (69%) and managers (55%) are more likely to use AI compared to individual contributors (40%).
But most importantly, there is a clear divide between implementation and actual use. Separate new research from Hitachi Vantara found that the majority of companies (98%) are using, testing or exploring AI, suggesting they could be investing blindly without identifying real use cases.
Poor configurations are also likely to prevent businesses from getting the return on investment they expect: 95% of organizations see zero return on their generative AI investments due to infrastructure gaps.
Only 42% consider themselves data mature, despite high-quality data being identified as the main driver of AI success.
“AI succeeds when the data behind it is reliable, well-governed and resilient,” said Sheila Rohra, CEO of Hitachi Vantara.
Looking ahead, the two reports suggest that existing workers will rely on AI more often before more workers jump on board with the technology, with clear use cases driving adoption more than pointless investments. The Hitachi Vantara report elaborates on this by stating that trust, security and governance must also be a key focus to eliminate fears of breaches and leaks, unreliable results and regulatory risks.
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