AI readiness gap is slowing productivity gains

Imagine if NASA built a rocket ship, laid out a plan to go to the moon, but didn’t train the astronauts on how to crew the new vessel.

NASA would never. In fact, the Artemis II crew trained for three years in a replica Orion capsule practicing real-world (pun intended) scenarios in order to master the tech they’d be using away from Earth. The crew sometimes spent more than 30 hours at a time training ahead of its mission, which safely splashed down in the Pacific Ocean Friday.

Compare that to your department’s last AI training session.

A gap in AI readiness is impacting AI’s potential gains across industries, according to a new report from study.com on the state of AI jobs and skills. The report follows two complementary surveys, each of 1,000 employed US adults, done in March. It found companies and enterprise orgs are rapidly deploying AI tools across their businesses, but their human employees are falling behind and need more job-specific training.

“AI was adopted faster than organizations could build the skills infrastructure around it. Workers have largely been left to close that gap themselves, and many are not doing that effectively.” Chris Mancini, study.com’s chief growth officer, said in a statement on its release.

The report concluded AI use is no longer reserved for early adopters, but is a mainstream part of daily work and sometimes even expected on the job. Nine in 10 employees use AI at work at least sometimes, but only one in six feels fully prepared to leverage it.

Adoption may be widespread, but companies are lagging on preparing their workforce to best use the tools.

Some 35% of employees reported having received no AI training at all. But even with training, fewer than 18% reported that it “prepared them to work independently.”

“Workers want to grow, they’re willing to put in the time, and most only need two hours a week to make meaningful progress. What they are not getting is structure—clear guidance, protected learning time, and training that fits the way they actually work. The workforce is ready. The question is whether employers will meet them there,” Mancini said.