Most workers use AI but get no time to learn it

A new Workera survey out this week shows 80% of large US companies believe they are on the right track for an AI-powered future, up from 67% a year ago. That optimism hasn't reached the workforce: 67.8% of employees say they use AI tools beyond ChatGPT at least twice a week, nearly double the 39.9% reported in 2025, yet 56.4% say they have no dedicated learning time during work hours.

The bottleneck isn't tool access, it's breathing room, said Workera founder and chief executive Kian Katanforoosh in an interview with ZDNET. "Leaders need to carve out dedicated time for upskilling and not expect workers to figure it out on their own." The data backs him: 84.3% of workers spend five hours or fewer per week on skill development, and 42.5% point to a lack of relevant learning materials as a primary barrier.

There is some progress. Nearly 6 out of 10 employees received dedicated AI training in the past year, an improvement over the previous year when most received none. But the training stays theoretical without practical time to apply it. Katanforoosh noted that the current phase — focused on results and actions rather than mere adoption and access — is adding pressure to workers who already feel squeezed.

Left without a structured framework, 46.5% of employees turned to tools their organizations didn't provide to learn on their own. Three-quarters of that group (74.6%) used the flagship models: ChatGPT, Claude and Gemini. The gap is clear: companies are buying the "AI future" narrative but not investing in the human infrastructure that makes it possible.