If a company does not yet have a comprehensive and people-oriented artificial intelligence strategy, it may lose its top AI talent to competitors that are better prepared as soon as 2027, according to a Gartner report released Wednesday.
The business analysis company surveyed more than 12,000 employees and managers in Q1 2026 and found that half of organizations that lack such a strategy may be at risk of losing their top talent.
“The survey revealed that in the shift to an AI-powered workforce, most leaders are mistaking basic access or adoption metrics for transformation,” Swagatam Basu, senior director analyst in the Gartner HR practice, said in a statement. “This ‘enablement illusion’ is hiding risks and draining ROI.”
The big question for many enterprises is how to track AI success. Many executives do so via hours saved by AI tool use, but 19% of employees surveyed told Gartner they had not saved any time with AI. This is but one example of why organizations need to consider deep and varied engagement in AI tools as a sign of AI success, Gartner said, rather than simple adoption.
Notably, enterprise AI is most easily accessed by managers and executives, while individual contributors remain “underserved with support and guidance,” Gartner said, limiting overall AI productivity. Workers generally may not know how to use AI, a Forrester report released earlier this year indicated, a phenomenon the research firm pinned on employers not offering a learning environment.
Workers also remain anxious about AI-driven job loss, Gartner noted.
“AI adoption is a culture issue, not just a training issue; standard software training and technical learning do not improve workforce sentiment or build trust,” Gartner said in its press release.
Leaders that do not communicate about new tools can prompt trust issues about technology at work, a 2025 Mercer report said, which in turn can lead to a lack of engagement with the tech. But an organization that has clear rules around AI use, a supportive workplace culture and encouraging talent practices will see greater rewards around AI implementation, a recent report from Microsoft indicated.
“The most effective drivers of positive AI adoption are employee confidence in their current and future roles, and transparent, ongoing communication about how AI will be used and its impact on jobs,” Basu said