What: AI adoption in the U.S. workforce is growing most rapidly among leaders and remote-capable roles, but retail and frontline positions report the lowest usage rates.

Why it is important: The slow uptake of AI among retail and frontline workers signals a risk of widening productivity gaps, aligning with findings on the challenges of scaling AI in the sector.

The latest Gallup survey reveals that while frequent use of AI in the workplace continues to rise, overall adoption remains uneven, particularly across different industries and job roles. Technology, finance, and higher education sectors report the highest levels of AI integration, with up to 77% of employees in technology using AI and a significant portion doing so daily. In contrast, retail lags behind, with only 33% of employees using AI at all and just 10% reporting daily use. The disparity is even more pronounced between remote-capable and non-remote-capable roles, as well as between leaders and frontline staff. Leaders are far more likely to use AI frequently, with 44% reporting regular use compared to just 23% of individual contributors. This uneven adoption is attributed to the nature of retail work, which often involves in-person, service-based tasks less suited to current AI applications. As a result, the sector faces unique challenges in leveraging AI for productivity and efficiency, highlighting the need for targeted strategies to bridge the gap and avoid falling further behind more digitally advanced industries.

IADS Notes: The Gallup survey’s findings on the uneven adoption of AI across industries and roles are echoed in recent retail research, which highlights both the momentum and the persistent gaps in AI integration. BCG’s June 2025 study found that while 72% of retail employees use AI regularly, only 51% of frontline staff are active users, and just 10% of retailers have successfully scaled their AI applications, underscoring the importance of workflow redesign, training, and leadership engagement. Le Monde in October 2025 reported that AI is already disrupting the job market, particularly for entry-level and white-collar roles, with leading retailers focusing on upskilling rather than replacement to achieve sustainable productivity gains. BCG’s September 2025 analysis revealed that only 36% of retail workers feel prepared for AI-driven change, emphasizing the urgent need for foundational skills and balanced integration of AI and human talent. The Retail Bulletin in May 2025 stressed that productivity growth depends more on cultural transformation and employee engagement than on technology alone, while Journal du Net in July 2025 demonstrated that agentic AI, when implemented with a human-centric approach, can boost customer service efficiency by up to 30% and improve team engagement.

How Americans are using AI at work