AI frameworks and guidance aren’t up to par, yet adoption soars

Spotty leadership expectations, possible redundancies, and the lack of employee clarity are creating a sense of unease around AI in the workplace.

New research from the ELMO Employee Sentiment Index (ESI) found a growing disconnect between AI adoption and clarity.

A survey conducted in Q4 2025 of over 1,000 employees found that more than 85 per cent operating in AI-enabled workplaces use it in day-to-day tasks, yet only 19 per cent reported clear leadership. A quarter reported somewhat clear expectations, and half of all employees were either neutral or completely in the dark.

For this significant proportion of employees, workplace alignment is outpaced by usage – and the issues don’t stop there. A strong majority has reported limited support for professional AI use, 45 per cent, with another 5 per cent reporting no assistance and only 14 per cent feeling strongly supported.

Correspondingly, only one in five employees had been provided with very clear expectations, and this is affecting more than the individual. According to ELMO Software president Joseph Lyons, “when expectations aren’t clearly articulated, including the skills and capabilities people need to use AI effectively, employees are left to interpret what responsible and productive use looks like”.

Governance continues to be a challenge in the workplace, with 29 per cent of employees harnessing both approved and non-approved tools professionally, and another 12 per cent unsure which can be officially used. As “shadow AI” use becomes more rampant, adoption continues to race ahead, faster than policies and guardrails can be formalised.

As is the case with AI in many workplaces, employees are both optimistic about the help they receive from automation and wary of how it may affect their employment. Possible redundancy has been referenced as a concern by 41 per cent of surveyed employees, and 50 per cent also feel pressure to work harder or longer for the sake of job security.

More than 30 per cent believe they could be replaced by AI within the next five years.

“The organisations that lead well through this intense period of change will be those that prioritise workforce design, defining skills needed early, building capability at space, and communicating clearly how roles will evolve alongside technology,” Lyons said.

And this includes leadership capable of providing clear AI roadmaps and providing executive alignment. This may mean staying in the experimentation phase until the right tools are identified, as only 51 per cent of employers said that currently approved tools are effective.

According to Lyons, “employees are motivated to work smarter, but if approved pathways aren’t visible, people will experiment independently”.

He said: “ Leaders need to set the tone early, not by restricting innovation, but by guiding it.”

The speed of AI deployment is not the sole determining factor of success – clarity and connection will win every time. As such, this is the time for greater support for AI-enabled roles and clearer capability frameworks.

As Lyons suggested, this current environment should foster strong leadership.

He said: “In a fast-moving environment, clarity from leadership matters as much as the technology itself.”