A new Gallup poll shows that American workers have been integrating artificial intelligence into their jobs at a rapid rate over the past few years.
Around 12% of employed adults now say they use AI every day at work, according to a Gallup Workforce survey conducted this fall among more than 22,000 U.S. workers.
The survey found that nearly one-quarter of workers use AI frequently—defined as several times a week—while close to half reported using it at least a few times per year. This marks a sharp rise from 2023, when only 21% said they used AI occasionally. The increase reflects the growing popularity of generative AI tools such as ChatGPT, which can write emails and computer code, summarize lengthy documents, create images, and answer questions.
Gene Walinski, a Home Depot employee in New Smyrna Beach, Florida, is among those who have adopted AI at work. The 70-year-old consults an AI assistant on his personal phone almost every hour during his shifts to help answer customer questions about products in the electrical department that he is not fully familiar with.
Walinski said that without AI, his performance would suffer, leading to more uncertainty and fewer helpful answers for customers.
While AI use is rising across many industries, it remains most common in technology-related professions. About six in ten tech workers say they use AI frequently, and roughly three in ten rely on it daily.
The proportion of tech workers who regularly use AI has increased significantly since 2023, though there are signs that adoption may be slowing after a rapid surge between 2024 and 2025.
In the finance sector, which also shows high AI usage, 28-year-old investment banker Andrea Tanzi said he uses AI tools every day to analyze large volumes of documents and data that would otherwise take hours to review. He also uses Bank of America’s internal chatbot, Erica, to assist with routine administrative work.
Majorities of employees in professional services, higher education, and K–12 schools also report using AI at least a few times per year.
Joyce Hatzidakis, a 60-year-old high school art teacher in Riverside, California, began using AI chatbots to improve her written communication with parents. She explained that AI helps refine her tone and wording, which has reduced complaints from parents.
She first used ChatGPT before switching to Google’s Gemini after her school district adopted it as the official tool. She has even used AI to help draft recommendation letters, noting that there are only so many ways to describe a student’s creativity.
Another Gallup survey from last year found that about six in ten workers who use AI mainly rely on chatbots or virtual assistants. About four in ten said they use AI to organize information, generate ideas, or learn new skills.
Both the AI industry and the U.S. government are encouraging greater adoption of AI in workplaces and schools. Increased usage is seen as necessary to justify the massive investments in energy-intensive computing systems that power AI tools. However, economists disagree on how much AI will improve productivity or influence job security.
Sam Manning, a fellow at the Centre for the Governance of AI and a co-author of studies for the Brookings Institution and the National Bureau of Economic Research, said workers most exposed to AI tend to be adaptable. These workers often have higher education levels, broader skill sets, and stronger financial savings, making it easier for them to handle changes in employment.
However, Manning’s research also identified about 6.1 million U.S. workers who face high exposure to AI but have fewer resources to adjust. Many of them work in administrative or clerical roles, are mostly women, tend to be older, and live in smaller cities with limited career alternatives.
Manning warned that if their tasks become automated, these workers may struggle to transition into new roles and could experience severe financial hardship.
A separate Gallup survey from 2025 found that although AI use is increasing, relatively few workers believe that technology or automation will eliminate their jobs within the next five years. Half said it was “not at all likely,” though this figure has declined from about 60% in 2023.
Rev. Michael Bingham, pastor of a church in Jacksonville, Florida, said he is not concerned about AI replacing his role. He described receiving poor results when asking a chatbot about medieval theology and said he would never rely on a machine to help write sermons, preferring spiritual guidance instead.
He added that in moments of illness or death, people need human compassion rather than machines.
AI usage remains less common in service industries such as retail, healthcare, and manufacturing.
Home Depot did not require Walinski to use AI when he joined the company last year after a long career in the auto industry. However, the company did not discourage it either. Walinski said he is not worried about being replaced by AI, emphasizing that customer service depends on human interaction.
“The human connection is what stores like mine depend on,” he said. “It’s really about people.”
