I know the demands CEOs face because I am one.
Right now, we’re racing to get the right AI tools into our people’s hands so our organizations can grow.
In conversations with other CEOs, they tell me their tech stack is strong. Their training is rolling out. Every IT box is checked. And yet, adoption is slow. The investment isn’t paying off. Frustration and fear are high.
Leaders point to employee readiness as the problem. They want to know: How can I get my people on board?”
Here’s what many leaders miss: People don’t change until their leaders do.
We want our people to be agile, innovative, and ready to “meet the moment.” But while we’re looking at them, they’re looking at us—for clarity, confidence, direction, and care.
This is what stalls success. If adoption is slow, it’s not an AI problem. It’s a leadership problem. AI success isn’t only a test of your technology. It’s a test of your leadership.
Our Great Place To Work 2025 global workforce study of nearly 10,000 employees across 25 countries shows that 85% of the global workforce has access to AI technology. But only 44% feel excited about using it or trust their employer to use it responsibly.
Employees aren’t lacking tools. They’re lacking trust, clarity, and support. Our survey shows that employees who have received no AI training are enthusiastic about AI if they believe that their leaders will get them trained the right way at the right time. This is all about trust, not training. If people don’t trust their leaders, they feel anxious, unprepared, or left out of decisions that affect them. They worry AI will replace them. That fear doesn’t get solved with software. It gets solved with trust and psychological safety.
This is why so many organizations haven’t scaled beyond pilot projects. They’re stuck, looking outward for solutions—more spending and more tools—and not inward at how they lead.
So, when CEOs ask me, “Why isn’t AI use translating into real business impact?” I answer their question with more questions:
- Do your people trust you?
- Are you addressing fear directly?
- Do people understand how AI helps their careers?
- Are they afraid of losing their job?
- Do they feel safe experimenting and learning?
These are questions I don’t need to ask leaders at the 2026 Fortune 100 Best Companies To Work For, because I know the experience their people are having. These companies outperform their peers on employee experience—from agility and innovation to leadership behaviors.
At the 100 Best, 81% of employees say their workplace is psychologically safe, compared to 56% at typical workplaces. When people feel psychologically safe, they are 44% more likely to feel confident in their leaders, and more than twice as likely to stay.
High-trust leaders don’t hand people AI tools and hope for the best. They lead. They use AI and talk about it. They explain what’s changing and why. They address fear directly. That doesn’t mean promising there won’t be layoffs. If you do, you’ll lose credibility. Layoffs are part of business, and they were long before AI. But they should be the last resort, not the plan.
If your story is “we cut costs,” you’re missing the point. The best protection against layoffs is growth, and AI should help you do that.
It’s about doing more with the people you have so you can grow your business. Talk to me about how AI is raising revenue per employee, not how much you’ve slashed costs.
The 100 Best leaders focus on what’s effective, not simply efficient—on outcomes, not just usage. Growth, not cuts. Safety, not fear. More humanity, not less. AI is used to make work better for all—not scarier.
When leaders create that environment for every working person, resistance fades. People believe AI will improve their work, their jobs, and their careers. Trust grows, and business performance follows.
Our research shows AI adoption is 2.5 times more likely when leaders talk openly about AI and encourage its use—and 2.1 times more likely when they explain how it helps employees’ careers. Employees who use AI at least monthly are more adaptable, more committed, and give extra effort.
At Synchrony, No. 1 on the list, employees are nine times more likely to embrace AI when leaders connect it to growth conversations and four times more likely when they understand how AI creates new growth opportunities for the company. With strong communication and training, Synchrony employees report 70% higher innovation.
This is the equation that never fails: Leaders shape the employee experience, and that experience drives business performance. It’s The Great Place To Work Effect.
Five ways 100 Best leaders build trust around AI
Leaders often assume their experience at work mirrors everyone else’s. It doesn’t. The experience worsens as you move down the org chart.
AI is no different. Enthusiasm, encouragement, access, and adoption all drop the further you get from the top.
Too often, AI isn’t reaching frontline workers—not because they’re resistant, but because they’re not getting trust, support, or access from their supervisor, who might not be getting those things from their supervisor.
Executives think they’re communicating clearly about AI. Frontline employees disagree. While 83% of executives say the message is clear, only 37% of frontline workers agree, according to our global survey. Similarly, 81% of executives believe they’re supportive, but only 33% of frontline employees feel encouraged to use AI.
Access tells a similar story. While 82% of executives say their company provides AI tools to help people do their job better, only 48% of frontline managers and 38% of individual contributors say the same.
AI only creates value when it’s used consistently, confidently, and by many people across the organization. Here’s how high-trust leaders close these gaps and make that happen:
1. Dispel the fear
Explain what’s changing—and why.
Two in three frontline workers worry that AI could replace their jobs. When people fear being replaced or don’t know what’s coming, trust erodes. Fear slows adoption and success. Transparency builds trust.
High-trust leaders set clear expectations; share privacy guiderails; and are transparent about what data AI uses, how it’s used, and how it’s protected. They share use cases, wins, and lessons learned from across the organization.
When employees understand the purpose, trust the guardrails, and feel involved in shaping how AI is used in their roles, they are far more likely to use AI. Desk workers with clear AI guidelines are six times more likely to have experimented with AI tools.
Edward Jones developed five guiding principles to help employees understand AI’s purpose and boundaries: human-centered, accountable, trustworthy, and inclusive. The company uses multi-channel updates like “Decisions Unpacked” sessions, town halls, and office hours to get feedback and engage employees.
2. Make learning role relevant
People are more likely to use AI if training is tied directly to their jobs.
Employees with AI training are more than twice as likely to actively use AI in their work compared to those without training, according to our global survey.
At the 100 Best, 85% of employees say training and development furthers them professionally, making innovation opportunities 87% more likely.
At Capital One, employees get personalized genAI learning paths and a skills snapshot so they can identify gaps, upskill, and apply AI in their day-to-day work.
3. Keep humans in the loop
AI should support judgment, not replace it. When employees are involved in decisions that impact their work, they adapt faster and are 41% more likely to embrace change.
Bank of America emphasizes human oversight, transparency, and accountability for AI outcomes across the bank. Navy Federal Credit Union uses AI to augment work under human oversight and is transparent about when AI is involved.
4. Create space for peer learning
People are far more likely to try new technology when they feel supported and part of a trusted group. Curiosity turns into confidence, and confidence drives action.
In our global study, 89% of employee resource group members use AI at least once a month, compared to 67% of non-members at typical workplaces.
Salesforce runs companywide “agentforce” learning days showcasing real examples and organizes collaborative forums for peer-to-peer learning. MetLife uses internal networks and playbooks to spread what’s working across teams, with leaders and ambassadors amplifying success.
5. Share progress
The best workplaces track and share progress around AI use and confidence.
Marriott International gives managers data on engagement, learning gaps, and behavior shifts using a dashboard in its learning platform.
Build trust—and they will come
CEOs love to say challenges are opportunities. They are, but not just for our teams. For us, too.
This moment calls on leaders to build trust, reduce fear, and create confidence.
When people trust their leaders, they trust how AI will be used. And trust that layoffs are a last resort.
In business, the workforce grows, and the workforce shrinks; everyone knows that. What your people really want to know is whether you are doing everything you can to help them grow at your organization, or the next one. Your transparent words and equitable actions will inform them.
Let’s be real and enable people to make the world better with AI.
Michael C. Bush is the CEO of Great Place To Work and co-author of “A Great Place to Work For All.” Follow him on LinkedIn, and subscribe to the Great Place To Work LinkedIn newsletter to learn how to boost business performance.
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