Companies that fail to build people-centered artificial intelligence strategies risk losing their best AI talent by 2027 to competitors prioritizing workforce enablement, according to new research from Gartner.
The research firm said half of enterprises lacking comprehensive AI workforce strategies are expected to lose top AI talent by 2027, reflecting growing pressure on companies to move beyond simply deploying AI tools toward addressing workforce enablement and AI preparedness.
The findings are based on Gartner’s Global Labor Market Survey, conducted in the first quarter of 2026 among 12,004 employees and managers across 40 countries. The survey examined AI’s impact on work, employee sentiment and workforce readiness.
“The survey revealed that in the shift to an AI-powered workforce, most leaders are mistaking basic access or adoption metrics for transformation,” said Swagatam Basu, senior director analyst in Gartner’s HR practice. “This ‘enablement illusion’ is hiding risks and draining ROI.”
Separate Gartner research conducted in December 2025 among 197 senior executives found only 27% of leaders said their organizations had comprehensive AI strategies, while just 20% believed their workforce was genuinely prepared for AI adoption.
Measuring AI success beyond time savings
Gartner said many organizations continue evaluating AI effectiveness primarily through time-saving metrics, despite nearly one in five surveyed employees reporting no time savings from AI tools.
The company argued that broader and more sophisticated AI use matters more than simple adoption rates. Employees using AI across multiple functions were twice as likely to report high productivity, 2.3 times more likely to produce higher-quality work, and more than three times more likely to improve business processes effectively.
The report urged organizations to create “True ROI Index” frameworks focused on the depth and diversity of AI use rather than basic adoption metrics. Gartner also recommended building centralized repositories for AI use cases to accelerate organization-wide learning and reduce duplication.
Workers turn increasingly to personal AI tools
The survey found widespread use of personal AI applications in the workplace, even among employees already provided with enterprise AI systems.
According to Gartner, 88% of workers with access to corporate AI platforms also use personal AI tools for business tasks, often to save time. Employees combining enterprise and personal AI systems were 1.7 times more likely to report meaningful time savings than those relying solely on company-approved tools.
However, Gartner warned that the trend raises concerns around corporate data security and employee retention, particularly among highly skilled AI talent.
Diana Sanchez, senior director analyst in Gartner’s HR practice, said companies need closer coordination between chief information officers and chief human resources officers to improve the user experience of enterprise AI systems while limiting the growth of “shadow AI” usage outside official governance structures.
AI benefits concentrate among senior employees
Although many organizations have expanded access to enterprise AI systems, Gartner said productivity gains remain concentrated among managers and executives rather than individual contributors.
The report found that 73% of highly productive AI users were managers or executives, while individual contributors — who perform many automatable tasks — often lack sufficient support and guidance.
Gartner said companies risk limiting broader productivity gains unless managers receive stronger training to integrate AI into day-to-day workflows and encourage experimentation among employees.
The firm recommended targeted AI training and support programs aimed at helping managers build confidence in deploying AI tools within teams.
Anxiety over AI slows workplace adoption
The report also identified employee anxiety over job displacement as a major obstacle to wider AI adoption. Gartner said workforce sentiment and organizational culture play a greater role in AI adoption than technical training alone.
Employees holding positive views toward AI were 3.4 times more likely to report high productivity levels, according to the survey. Gartner said employee confidence in their current and future roles, alongside transparent communication from employers, were among the strongest drivers of successful AI adoption.
Basu said organizations must establish clear expectations around how humans and AI systems will work together, while regularly monitoring workforce sentiment to address concerns early and proactively.
