From Panic to Progress: How to Help Employees Embrace AI

A good chunk of your workforce isn’t convinced by the conventional wisdom that “AI won’t take your job — someone using AI will.” They may have reason to worry, as 19.2 million U.S. jobs face high or very high automation displacement risk, according to the Jobs at Risk: U.S. Employment in the New Age of Automation (Part 1) data brief from SHRM. That’s about 1 in 8 U.S. jobs (12.6%), but some industries are more vulnerable than others. In finance/insurance, for example, 17.4% of jobs are at high or very high risk of automation.  

Those worries put HR departments in a bind: How can HR promote the use of artificial intelligence at work without making workers feel as though their replacement is imminent?

Fear Could Stall AI Adoption

Nearly half of U.S. workers (45%) reported using AI at work, but that still leaves 55% who haven’t adopted it, according to SHRM’s 2025 report From Adoption to Empowerment: Shaping the AI-Driven Workforce of Tomorrow. While workers who use AI tend to see big benefits, concerns around ethics, job security, and oversight remain. Nearly 8 in 10 U.S. workers (80%) said a human should always review an AI solution before it’s implemented. And 74% said AI should be used as a complement to unique human capabilities.

Meanwhile, AI implementations themselves are far from guaranteed to succeed. Just 17% of HR professionals rated their AI implementation as very or extremely successful over the past two years, while 34% said their effort was only slightly successful or not successful at all. That leaves nearly half (48%) saying results were only moderately successful — a sign of the high complexity and low margin for error that comes with deploying AI tools. 

The successful deployment of AI — whether to speed up hiring, help streamline payroll, or generate new ideas — depends upon a clearly defined strategy. Employees need to know what AI is, how it’s going to be used, and why. Transparent communication builds trust, and a culture of trust — among leaders, peers, and ourselves — enables employees to create and innovate in ways that move the business toward the future.

Because HR focuses on the human experience, not just the technology, it’s uniquely positioned to ease employee concerns and support smoother AI adoption. But the From Adoption to Empowerment report found that only 26% of HR professionals said they were highly involved in managing change and employee adoption of AI, compared to 68% who said HR should play a lead role in these efforts.

“HR needs to be a leading voice in AI implementation,” said SHRM CHRO Jim Link, SHRM-SCP. “HR leaders understand how important it is to bring artificial intelligence and human intelligence together in every process. You can’t roll out a new technology successfully if you’re ignoring that human element.”

Focus on Worker Education

A majority (51%) of U.S. workers said their organization should focus on enhanced training and upskilling to improve AI implementation, according to the From Adoption to Empowerment report. And nearly half of U.S. workers said failing to upskill or reskill in AI poses a moderate or severe risk to their career progression (49%) and job security (48%). Younger workers — Generation Zers and Millennials — expressed the highest levels of concern.

AI adoption is accelerating, and workers know they need to keep up. But satisfaction with training remains uneven: While 63% of workers said they were satisfied, 13% expressed dissatisfaction, citing issues such as a lack of clarity about how to integrate AI technologies into workflows, limited time to engage in training, and limited organizational support for applying learned skills. It’s clear that there’s a disparity between what workers want and what they’re getting, which can exacerbate their concerns around AI adoption.

When workers are adequately educated on the use of AI, the results are clear: 77% of AI users said they accomplished more in less time, and 73% reported producing higher-quality work with less effort. Importantly, these benefits were more pronounced among workers satisfied with their training: 89% of those who were satisfied said they accomplished more with AI, compared to just 48% of those dissatisfied. 

True success may come down to the quality of training. Organizations and their HR teams need to ensure that training around AI is intentional, strategic, and built for worker success. Taking employee feedback into consideration ensures that the process can build upon what’s working and leave aside what isn’t, optimizing education to be as powerful and effective as employees deserve.

Empower Employees to Share AI Concerns

Just as a fully developed and clearly communicated AI strategy can build trust among employees, it’s crucial to provide the space and opportunity for them to share their feelings and offer open, honest feedback. Employees need to feel supported, seen, and heard alongside the adoption of AI. 

Listening to each employee with empathy while prioritizing psychological safety ultimately boosts mental health, benefiting both the employee and the business. After all, AI succeeds when humans are at the center of it, and that includes the employees tasked with using it to achieve key business outcomes.

Cultivate a Culture of Learning 

Despite the concerns and setbacks in the adoption of AI, most employees are eager to grow. A full 86% of workers in 16 countries expressed willingness to retrain or reskill if major shifts in skills requirements occur, according to earlier SHRM research. HR teams must meet this moment by cultivating a culture of learning.

“Modern workers want active learning experiences that are often not even products of your training team,” said SHRM Chief Transformation Officer Andy Biladeau. “In a thriving learning culture, managers are presenting day-to-day assignments as skill-building moments rather than simply delegated tasks. Embedding a growth mindset shifts the emphasis from ‘learning in the flow of work’ to ‘work in the flow of learning.’”

Along the way, some employees are going to come up to speed sooner, while others might need more hands-on assistance. Regardless of the employee’s learning style, simply giving them the time and tools to learn new AI skills can boost their confidence and shift their mindsets from concerned to empowered.

“Building a strong learning culture does more than improve engagement and productivity — it supports the entire employee experience, which we know retains your best people, delivers better business outcomes, and keeps you resilient for whatever shifts come next,” Link said.