Google/Ipsos AI Works for America poll

Washington, DC, February 19, 2026 – As Artificial Intelligence reshapes the nature of work, a new Google/Ipsos survey of the American workforce outlines a path for organizations to close the AI skills gap and equip employees to thrive in an AI-driven economy.

The survey finds that three in five employees are not currently using AI and that practical use cases are necessary for employees to see the relevance of AI in their job tasks. The data also reveal that the greatest gains for organizations and employees alike come when workers become AI fluent, delivering both significant productivity gains and career benefits.

To successfully advance AI adoption, the survey underscores the importance of organizations speaking directly to employee concerns by providing clear guidance, tools, and training, and fostering a culture of exploration powered by peer networks and support. 

Detailed Findings

1. Two in five employees say they use AI at work, with top use cases including writing and learning.

• Two in five (40%) U.S. employees say they use AI at work. AI adoption is highest among employees who are educators (64%), employees who work in an office (52%), and employees who work in a large business (46%).
• Employees primarily use AI to augment core skills like writing, learning, and brainstorming, but less than one in five (18%) are highly confident they are getting the most out of it. 

2. While many are using AI, few are “AI Fluent.”

• While 40% of employees use AI at work, only 5% are classified as “AI Fluent” – those who redesign their workflows with AI or integrate AI into their workflow and use AI at least weekly across eight or more use cases.
• The majority of AI users (35% of all employees) are “AI Explorers” – employees who use AI on a more ad-hoc basis.
• AI Fluent employees are reaping time savings and career benefits from AI utilization:
  • A large majority of AI Fluent workers (91%) say that AI makes them more productive, compared to half among AI Explorers (52%).
  • AI Fluent workers say AI saves them a median of eight hours per week, compared to three hours among AI Explorers.
  • AI Fluent workers are more likely than AI Explorers to report that their usage of AI has resulted in them receiving higher wages (18% among AI Fluent vs. 4% among AI Explorers), improved their job security (26% vs. 7%), or helped them get a new promotion (12% vs. 3%).

3. Managers see the value in AI, both for employees and their organizations

• Seven in ten (70%) managers believe an AI-trained workforce is important for their organization’s success in the next five years, with this figure increasing to 82% among managers who personally use AI.
• Additionally, 70% of managers view AI skills as either a requirement or a preference when hiring in the current job market. This is especially true among managers who use AI, where 82% consider AI skills either a hiring requirement or preference.

5. AI fluency is unlocked through organizational training and guidance, as well as peer-to-peer learning – but most organizations are not meeting the demand. 

• Two in three employees say they have some level of interest in receiving formal training on how to use AI in the workplace (65%). However, just 14% of employees overall say that their organization has offered AI-related training in the last 12 months.
• Only 27% of workers say that their organization provides AI tools and 37% say that their organization provides guidance on AI usage at work.
• At the same time, when workers are offered both AI tools and guidance on how to use AI at work, they are 2.5 times more likely to be an AI User and 4.5 times more likely to be AI Fluent.

About the Study

Google’s AI Works for America poll was conducted by Ipsos using the probability-based KnowledgePanel®. This poll is based on two nationally representative probability samples of employed (or working) adults 18 to 75 years old. The study was conducted in English and Spanish.

Employee Sample

The Employee sample is based on a nationally representative probability sample of 4,464 ‘employed’ general population adults aged 18 to 75 years old. The Employee sample was fielded from December 5 – 21, 2025.

The data were weighted to adjusted for gender by age, race and ethnicity, census region by metropolitan status, education, household income, and language dominance. The demographic benchmarks came from the 2025 March supplement of the U.S. Census Bureau’s Current Population Survey (CPS) except language dominance among Hispanics, which is not available from CPS, which was obtained from the 2023 American Community Survey (ACS).

• Gender (Male and Female) by Age (18-28, 29-44, 45-60, 61-75)
• Race-Ethnicity (White/Non-Hispanic, Black/Non-Hispanic, Other/2+ Races/Non-Hispanic, Hispanic)
• Census Region (Northeast, Midwest, South, West) by Metropolitan Status (Metro, Non-Metro)
• Education (Less than High School, High School, Some College, Bachelor or higher)
• Household Income (under $25K, $25K-$49,999, $50K-$74,999, $75K-$99,999, $100K-$149,999, $150K and over)
• Language Dominance (English Dominant Hispanic, Bilingual Hispanic, Spanish Dominant Hispanic, Non-Hispanic)

The margin of sampling error is plus or minus 1.3 percentage points at the 95% confidence level. The margin of sampling error takes into account the design effect, which was 1.05. The margin of sampling error is higher and varies for results based on sub-samples.

Hiring Manager Sample

The Manager sample is based on a nationally representative probability sample of 1,511 ‘hiring mangers’ aged 18 to 75 years old. ‘Hiring managers’ were defined as managerial or executive employees with two or more direct reports, at organizations with 100 or more total employees, who have some influence over the hiring of new employees. The Manager sample was fielded from December 10 – 25, 2025.

The data were weighted to adjust for gender by age, race and ethnicity, census region, metropolitan status, education, household income, and language dominance. The demographic benchmarks came from the 2025 March supplement of the U.S. Census Bureau’s Current Population Survey (CPS) except language dominance among Hispanics, which is not available from CPS, which was obtained from the 2023 American Community Survey (ACS).

• Gender (Male and Female) by Age (18-44, 45-60, 61-75)
• Race-Ethnicity (White/Non-Hispanic, Black/Non-Hispanic, Other/2+ Races/Non-Hispanic, Hispanic)
• Census Region (Northeast, Midwest, South, West) by Metropolitan Status (Metro, Non-Metro)
• Education (Less than High School/High School, Some College, Bachelor or higher)
• Household Income (under $25K, $25K-$49,999, $50K-$74,999, $75K-$99,999, $100K and over)
• Language Dominance (English Dominant Hispanic, Bilingual Hispanic, Spanish Dominant Hispanic, Non-Hispanic)

The margin of sampling error is plus or minus 3.4 percentage points at the 95% confidence level. The margin of sampling error takes into account the design effect, which was 1.83 for the entire sample. The margin of sampling error is higher and varies for results based on sub-samples.

In our reporting of the findings, percentage points are rounded off to the nearest whole number. As a result, percentages in a given table column may total slightly higher or lower than 100%. In questions that permit multiple responses, columns may total substantially more than 100%, depending on the number of different responses offered by each respondent.

About Ipsos

Ipsos is one of the largest market research and polling companies globally, operating in 90 markets and employing nearly 20,000 people.

Our passionately curious research professionals, analysts and scientists have built unique multi-specialist capabilities that provide true understanding and powerful insights into the actions, opinions and motivations of citizens, consumers, patients, customers or employees. Our 75 business solutions are based on primary data from our surveys, social media monitoring, and qualitative or observational techniques.

“Game Changers” – our tagline – summarizes our ambition to help our 5,000 clients navigate with confidence our rapidly changing world.

Founded in France in 1975, Ipsos has been listed on the Euronext Paris since July 1, 1999. The company is part of the SBF 120, Mid-60 indices, and is eligible for the Deferred Settlement Service (SRD).

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