BCG analysis: AI at Work – momentum builds, but gaps remain
Magda Purice
Posted On July 7, 2025
Frontline employees have hit a “silicon ceiling,” with only half of them regularly using artificial intelligence tools, according to BCG’s third annual global AI at Work survey. Companies are realizing that merely introducing AI tools into existing ways of working isn’t enough to unlock their full potential. Real value is generated when businesses reshape their workflows end-to-end and promote use of the technology. To help frontline employees fully engage with AI:
- Provide leadership support. The share of employees who feel positive about GenAI rises from 15% to 55% with strong leadership support.
- Provide the right tools. When employees don’t have the AI tools they need,more than half said they will find alternatives and use them anyway.
- Provide proper training. Regular usage is sharply higher for employees that receive at least five hours of training and have access to in-person training and coaching.
AI is no longer a distant promise. Leaders and managers have woven it into the fabric of their daily work lives. However, frontline employees have not fully embraced the technology.
While more than three-quarters of leaders and managers say they use generative AI (GenAI) several times a week, regular use among frontline employees has stalled at 51%.
This gap comes at a critical time in the development of AI. Companies are realizing that merely introducing AI tools into existing ways of working isn’t enough to unlock their full potential. The real magic happens—and value generated —when businesses go further and reshape their workflows end-to-end.
One-half of companies, led by those in financial services and technology, are moving beyond productivity plays (what we call Deploy) to redesign workflows (Reshape).
These findings emerge from BCG’s annual AI at Work global survey of employees. (This year’s survey covers 11 countries and regions and more than 10,600 leaders, managers, and frontline white-collar employees.
Read the full report here
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