Why Are Executives Using AI More Than Their Employees?

Despite encouragement from the C-suite, employees aren’t rushing to adopt AI - but many execs are leading by example.

Dayforce’s recent 16th Annual Pulse of Talent survey shows that AI adoption varies by seniority, with 87% of executives using it on the job, compared with 57% of managers and 27% of employees.

It also finds that execs are also 45% more likely to use AI at work than Gen Z respondents - the first generation to grow up around this kind of technology.

Dayforce says that leaders outpacing the youngest generation in the workforce shows how differently the technology is being adopted and implemented.

The findings are based on a survey of around 7,000 professionals who work in the US, UK, Australia, Canada, Germany and New Zealand, conducted between 22 July and 6 August 2025.

This gap in AI adoption is creating different speeds within an organisation: fast-tracking executives, AI-intrigued managers and cautious experimenters.

A recent MIIT study, named The GenAI Divide of AI in Business 2025, shows that only 5% of leaders saw a return on their AI investment.

Dayforce execs say that barriers to adopting AI are directly undermining organisations’ ability to create value from the technology.

AI buzz outside of work

The study found that, outside of work, leaders are still the most active adopters of AI with 85% stating they use it in their personal lives versus 67% of managers and 49% of workers.

This means that those in the most senior positions are experimenting with AI in their daily lives at almost twice the rate of people who carry out organisations’ day-to-day work.

Amy Cappellanti, Dayforce’s Chief People Officer and Carrie Rasmussen, Chief Digital Officer, said in a joint statement: “There’s a surprising trend in many organisations. AI positivity abounds at every job level, but that is especially true among executives, causing them to prioritise adoption over caution.

“The startup mantra of “move fast and break things” has gone mainstream. Executives are racing into AI faster than any past technology shift, but the rest of the workforce is struggling to keep pace.”

What’s blocking AI ROI?

There’s no denying that AI holds enormous potential, but Dayforce acknowledges that the potential doesn’t always equal profits.

A huge factor is lack of training, of which 63% of respondents said it’s somewhat or very important for them to develop AI skills.

Although the majority of respondents want to develop these skills, 67% of executives say they have received learning/training at work about AI in the past year versus 36% of managers and 16% of workers.

The survey results suggest that organisations are racing to adopt AI technologies, but not assisting workers in keeping up with the changing digital landscape.

Another factor is the lack of transition support. When asked if their role had been changed by AI, 12% said yes and another 35% said they expect changes soon.

When asked if respondents would have selected a different career path if they had considered the impact of AI on job security, 42% of senior leaders said yes alongside 29% of managers and 16% of workers.

Dayforce says this raises the question of where the agenda is actually leading as most companies aren’t offering support through internal opportunities to help navigate the transition.

The final area that the survey finds as a contributor is lack of trust. More than half of respondents said that AI presents ethical challenges at work but only a quarter of organisations have a person or team responsible for ethical AI use.

This is causing distrust and slowing AI adoption as employees are resisting to use it.