AI fluency: Is this the missing link for business success?

Google chief executive Sundar Pichai says ramping up artificial intelligence capabilities in products is resulting in people using them more and increased demand for its cloud computing services – Copyright AFP Glenn CHAPMAN

Many big tech leaders claim AI’s role in the workplace is guaranteed. Yet conflicting data shows organizations are not ready to fully harness AI’s capabilities. There is perhaps one area that accounts for this limited potential – “AI fluency”.

This is the subject of a report from a small firm calledBetterworks, which has produced the ‘Performance Enablement Report‘, The document reveals AI fluency is the missing link to strong workplace innovation. This survey reveals that 87% of daily AI users say GenAI boosts productivity, but 93% agree it’s still underutilized.

Furthermore, only 10% of organizations are using AI for strategic planning and 38% for creative work. A further barrier to acceptance is apparent through 33% of employees not being able to see how AI fits their role. It follows that 27% do not know how to use AI effectively.

Executives are embracing AI, but adoption lags below the C-suite. Senior leaders are twice as likely as managers and nearly four times more likely than individual contributors to be AI power users. Without the right tools and training, AI progress will stall.

Leavers

And with this gap comes fleeing talent: 78% of AI power users are actively looking for new jobs. In other words, AI-driven high performers are on the move, while those disengaged from AI are staying put. Nearly 8 in 10 highly engaged employees — often AI-savvy talent — are actively seeking new opportunities outside their current company while 65% of AI-resistant employees plan to stay.

Paradoxically, AI power users understand both the opportunities their highly marketable skills create and the risk of losing their jobs to AI. Less frequent AI users are far less concerned about the role of AI in replacing them and keeping their skills up to date. The dichotomy means organizations face two critical challenges: How can they fully leverage AI’s potential while retaining their top talent, and how do they continue to innovate in an AI-driven environment?

Where does this leave businesses?

To bridge this gap, the report recommends organizations to embed AI into performance enablement, democratize AI literacy, and leverage AI to help employees identify needed skills and uncover career advancement opportunities. By improving internal mobility and removing certain responsibilities from managers, employees can exercise greater control over growth opportunities while enabling managers to focus on coaching employees and relationship-building.

“As AI rapidly reshapes the workplace, leaders have a unique opportunity to move beyond experimentation and low-hanging fruit using AI for routine tasks, and drive intentional AI adoption at all levels that will further business strategy and competitiveness,” Doug Dennerline, CEO of Betterworks explains. “The key is democratizing AI skills and fostering career mobility for all—creating an environment where innovation thrives.”

Balanced scorecard

Such findings suggest that AI is a mixed initiative. On one hand it is driving record-breaking productivity, yet its most engaged users are heading for the exit. The divide is driving employee sentiments in opposite directions, threatening to undermine organizations’ ability to retain top talent and maintain an agile, upskilled workforce able to innovate.