More than 70% of employees are using artificial intelligence tools every week, and up to one-third are doing so without IT oversight, pointing to the rise of “shadow AI” across workplaces and growing pressure on employers to establish clearer rules around its use.
The findings come from Lenovo’s Work Reborn Research Series 2026: Leading Your Workforce to AI Triumph, which surveyed 6,000 full-time employees at organizations with at least 1,000 workers across the US, Canada, the UK, France, Germany, India, Japan, Singapore, Brazil, Mexico, Australia and New Zealand in December 2025 and January 2026.
AI use is already becoming part of daily workplace routines. About 8% of employees said they use AI multiple times a day, 22% use it a few times a day, 15% use it once daily and 25% use it a few times a week. Only 1% said they never use AI for work.
At the same time, 80% expect their use of AI to increase over the next year, while 39% expect that increase to be significant.
“AI adoption is no longer the challenge. Execution is,” said Rakshit Ghura, vice president and general manager of digital workplace solutions at Lenovo. “Usage is growing faster than organizations can control or secure it. Without that control, AI introduces as much risk and cost as it does opportunity.”
A workplace divide emerges
Many employees say their employers are not keeping pace with demand for AI tools and training.
About 31% of AI users said their employer does not provide training on how to use AI at work, while 22% said their employer does not provide AI tools for workplace use. Between one-fifth and one-third of workers are using AI outside the oversight and governance of IT teams.
The report said this has created a two-tier workforce in which some employees have access to approved tools and oversight while others rely on public platforms or unauthorized systems to maintain productivity.
That divide can delay return on investment, create duplicate spending on overlapping tools, increase security risks and make it harder for organizations to determine which AI initiatives should be expanded companywide.
Workers want AI to handle routine tasks
Employees remain largely optimistic about AI’s role in the workplace.
About 71% said AI improves productivity, 72% said it improves the quality of their work and 73% said it improves creativity. Meanwhile, 89% selected terms such as optimistic, excited or inspired when describing AI, though 63% also expressed cautious or mixed feelings.
Workers also want AI to reduce repetitive administrative work. About 79% said they would enjoy their jobs more if they could focus on work that matters to the business rather than routine administrative tasks.
Despite that demand, only 24% said they use AI every day to automate administrative work. Employees are more likely to use AI for generating ideas, analyzing data, summarizing meetings, conducting research and drafting written materials.
Lenovo offers an example of controlled AI use
Lenovo has already applied automation inside its own HR operations, providing an example of how workplace AI can be deployed with tighter oversight.
The company automated employee expense reimbursements, payroll scheduling and tax declarations through AI and robotic process automation tools. Employees now spend less than 10% of the time previously required to submit expenses, while HR process efficiency increased by five to eight times. The initiative also saves at least 6,000 hours annually for HR teams.
The system includes permission controls for sensitive employee information such as payroll and identity records, along with safeguards for data storage, backup recovery and access management. The payroll automation system also reached 96% accuracy after multiple iterations.
Trust issues remain unresolved
Many workers still have concerns about the reliability of workplace AI tools.
About 23% said they do not believe employer-provided AI tools always produce reliable information, while 17% said they do not believe their privacy and personal data are protected when using those systems.
Training remains another challenge. Among employees who receive AI training, 51% said it is not regular or ongoing, while 42% said it is not effective. Half of employees said better training would help them gain more value from AI at work.
Security concerns continue to grow
About 61% of IT leaders said AI is increasing cybersecurity risks, yet only 31% said they feel confident managing those threats.
Meanwhile, 43% of employees said they are highly concerned about cybercriminals using AI to launch attacks or workers accidentally leaking sensitive company data through public AI systems. Another 40% said they are concerned about AI-driven phishing attempts such as deepfake videos or fraudulent emails.
About 74% said better cybersecurity training on AI-related risks would help them feel more secure, while 73% said they would feel reassured knowing their company’s cybersecurity teams are using AI to address those threats.
The report said organizations that want to avoid fragmented AI adoption need clearer governance, stronger training programs and tighter oversight before employee use accelerates further.