Employees Are Using AI at Work Before Companies Catch Up

A new INTOO/Harris Poll survey finds 72% of employed Americans say AI is already being used for business purposes in their organizations, led by informal employee use rather than formal company rollout. The results suggest employers now face a bigger challenge: turning widespread experimentation into safe, effective workplace policy and training.

Why it matters: - AI is already embedded in most workplaces, but often without formal oversight. - The gap between employee behavior and company governance could affect productivity, data security, and workforce planning. - The survey suggests employers need to move from debating whether to adopt AI to deciding how to manage it.

What happened: - INTOO, working with The Harris Poll, surveyed 1,085 employed U.S. adults ages 18 and older from June 15-16, 2026. - 72% of respondents said AI is already being used for business purposes within their organization. - The largest share, 22%, said employees are using AI on their own initiative without formal company-approved tools or processes. - 17% said AI is being used throughout the organization and is actively reshaping workflows through formal company-approved tools and processes.

The details: - 20% said AI is being used by some departments through approved tools and processes, but not consistently across the company. - 12% said AI is used throughout the company through formal company-approved tools and processes, but not consistently across the organization. - 16% said their organization is not using AI at all. - 9% were not sure whether or how AI is used in their organization. - 3% said none of the survey scenarios applied. - The survey’s sampling precision is plus or minus 3.5 percentage points at a 95% confidence level. - Among employed Americans, 34% said they are curious to learn more about AI. - Another 34% said they are excited about AI’s potential. - 31% said they are confident using AI tools. - 20% worried AI could make their job obsolete. - 20% wanted to advance their AI skills but did not know where to start. - 20% worried about making mistakes while using AI. - Employees at organizations already using AI were nearly four times as likely to feel confident using AI, at 39% vs. 10%. - Those employees were also almost four times as likely to be excited about AI’s potential, at 43% vs. 11%. - Mira Greenland, chief revenue officer at INTOO, said employees are already using AI and organizations now need to provide guidance, training, and governance.

Between the lines: - The findings suggest AI adoption is not following the usual top-down technology rollout. - Employees appear to be leading adoption, while many employers are still building policies and company-wide strategies. - The data also points to a split between organizations that are strategically integrating AI and those that are still relying on individual experimentation. - Exposure appears to build confidence, which could make formal AI adoption easier for companies that already have employees experimenting with the tools.

What's next: - Employers are likely to face more pressure to set responsible AI policies, train workers, and define approved use cases. - INTOO says organizations that invest now in training, governance, and responsible AI policies will be better positioned to improve productivity while reducing risk. - Businesses that move slowly may remain dependent on inconsistent employee-led use.

The bottom line: - AI is no longer a future workplace question for many employers. The immediate challenge is controlling, scaling, and training around a tool employees are already using.