The use of AI in the workplace has nearly doubled since 2023, according to a report from Gallup. However, that same report also shows that leadership is lagging when it comes to communicating an AI strategy or setting AI guidelines.
As a result, employees may be adopting AI tools on their own without clear direction on how to use them effectively or ethically. And many workers are worried about job security, feeling unprepared for the changes AI will bring.
Keeping up with AI isn't just about rolling out new technology — it's about building a workplace culture where employees have a voice in how AI is used and receive the training they need to feel confident. This kind of AI-friendly workplace culture fosters higher productivity, better agility, and increased innovation.
What is an AI-friendly workplace culture?
Many employees are understandably nervous about AI — they fear they might be replaced or that they’ll struggle to adapt to the new technology. But in an AI-friendly workplace, artificial intelligence is a tool for improvement rather than disruption or making people obsolete.
Just like in any high-trust company culture where leaders involve employees in conversations and decisions about their work, an AI-friendly culture makes space for questions and concerns. It offers resources and training so employees can develop their AI literacy and have a say in how it’s used.
Most importantly, an AI-friendly workplace culture recognizes that while AI can process data and automate tasks, human judgment, empathy, and strategic thinking are irreplaceable.
The benefits of fostering an AI-friendly culture
1. Enhanced efficiency and productivity
AI is ideal for handling repetitive tasks that can often eat up significant chunks of an employee’s workday.
For example, crunching spreadsheet data, generating reports, sorting emails, and summarizing long documents are all time-consuming tasks that could be handled more efficiently with AI.
When employees use AI to augment their skills, it frees up their time to focus on tasks that truly require human insight and creativity.
2. Improved employee experience and engagement
One of AI’s strongest features is its ability to be highly personalized. Rather than one-size-fits-all training and processes, programs can be tailored to fit employees’ roles, existing skills, and interests.
Many of the Fortune 100 Best Companies to Work For® are relying on AI to upskill their employees and improve the overall employee experience. For example, ServiceNow offers an AI platform for career mapping and goal setting. Bank of America uses AI chatbots to train its sales team on how to interact with clients and customers.
AI can also help to eliminate the mundane tasks that can eat away at employee engagement, enabling them to pursue more fulfilling work. This is something that Hilton aims to achieve with their AI integrations.
“AI will really help automate those tasks that are sticky and not fun and allow us as team members to engage more thoughtfully and intentionally,” said Martess Green, Human Resources Leader at Hilton, at the 2025 For All Summit.
3. Competitive advantage and innovation
In an AI-friendly workplace, leaders seek employee ideas and input on how to best incorporate AI into their work. Innovative ideas are welcome from all employees, and ideas are celebrated for effort and the lessons learned, regardless of success or failure.
This fosters trust, which is the key to increased innovation and agility. Employees adapt to changes quickly and with less resistance, which allows companies to move at a greater speed than less innovative competitors and proactively address the next change or disruption.
Great Place To Work® research shows that having meaningful opportunities to innovate increases employee intent to stay by 41%. And when employees feel safe to innovate, agility increases by 253%!
The result: up to 5.5 times the revenue growth of peers with a less inclusive approach to innovation.
Challenges in building an AI-friendly workplace culture
1. Employee fear and resistance
When a workplace adopts AI, employees may worry about their jobs being eliminated or their skills becoming obsolete. These fears can manifest as resistance, reduced productivity, and low morale.
The key to combating this is what’s at the heart of all high-trust leadership: listening. When leaders listen to employees’ concerns with empathy and are transparent about AI’s role within the organization, they create an open dialogue that can help to alleviate employees’ fears.
Clearly explain which tasks AI will handle and how this will enhance rather than replace human contributions. Offer reskilling programs or other resources so that employees can learn the tools and see their own clear pathway for growth.
2. Leadership alignment and buy-in
AI initiatives often fail when leadership support is inconsistent or superficial. Leaders may underestimate the cultural shift required or focus solely on technical implementation while neglecting the human element.
But companies perform best when the employee experience isn’t sacrificed in the name of cost-cutting. High-trust workplaces show greater agility, better cooperation, and earn 8.5x higher revenue per employee than the market average.
These are clear competitive advantages for embracing an AI-friendly culture where employees feel empowered rather than fearful.
3. Data literacy and skill gaps
Building an AI-friendly culture isn’t just about adopting AI tools — it’s also about making sure employees have the skills and mindset to use those tools effectively.
Employees may struggle to create the right prompts to get the outputs they need or may need practice using AI algorithms. A skills gap can severely limit AI’s effectiveness and create frustration for users.
Consider tailored training programs that match different roles and skill levels, from introductory workshops on using AI to advanced courses on customizing analytics. Offer opportunities for employees to share their experiences and solutions, so that AI data literacy is embedded into the company culture.
4. Ethical considerations and bias
If AI models are trained on biased information, those biases can permeate every piece of content the AI produces. This could lead to unfair treatment of employees or customers and even create legal risks or damage a company’s reputation.
For example, studies have shown that many automated recruitment and hiring tools contain racial and gender biases. These biases are easily slipped in — if the data that’s fed to the AI overrepresents one group of people, even inadvertently, the AI could then reject all instances that don’t match that group.
On the flip side, AI can also be used to mitigate bias in the workplace, such as by checking for inclusive language or creating personalized training paths.
To reduce AI bias, companies need to ensure the teams are diverse at every stage, from development through to deployment. This includes diverse perspectives in data collection, algorithm design, testing, and ongoing monitoring.
Workplaces need clear ethical guidelines for AI use and should conduct regular audits of their AI systems. Employees should also be trained on potential biases that may come up in their own AI use.
Strategies for successfully building an AI-friendly culture
Building an AI-friendly culture requires intentional effort and a people-first approach. Here’s how to embrace AI in the workplace while still maintaining employee trust:
- Develop a clear AI vision and strategy. Explain how AI aligns with your organization’s broader goals and values and how it will benefit employees. You’re more likely to get buy-in when people understand the “why.”
- Invest in employee training and development. Offer ongoing training and provide hands-on opportunities for employees to practice with AI tools. This shows employees they’re still part of the workplace, rather than being replaced.
- Encourage experimentation and learning from failures. As employees test out AI, encourage them to share what they’ve learned, even when things don't work as planned, and celebrate the insights gained. This fosters the kind of psychological safety that drives innovation.
- Establish ethical guidelines for AI use. Develop clear policies that address data privacy, algorithmic bias, transparency, and accountability in AI. Offer ways for employees to raise concerns about potential AI misuse without fear of retaliation.
- Encourage cross-functional collaboration. Break down silos by encouraging employees from different departments to share their AI experiences and insights.
Embracing the future with an AI-friendly workplace culture
Building an AI-friendly workplace culture is about striking the right balance. You want AI to boost efficiency and innovation while also prioritizing the people within your organization.
When workplaces approach AI transparently and encourage open dialogue about concerns and opportunities, they foster a sense of trust that inspires creativity and fuels growth.
Does your workplace have the kind of culture that drives agility and innovation and is ready for modern challenges like AI? See how Great Place To Work Certification™ can prove that your employee experience is a cut above the rest.
