Artificial intelligence is no longer a futuristic concept. It’s a present-day reality reshaping the world of work. From automating repetitive tasks to supporting smarter decision-making, AI is rapidly becoming part of everyday business life.
Yet, amid the excitement and potential, there’s a growing divide inside organizations that’s too often overlooked: how leadership and employees perceive the role of AI in their professional lives.
At HiBob, we recently explored this dynamic through a survey of 1,000 professionals employed in the United States and United Kingdom. We compared the attitudes of managers and team members, individual contributors (ICs), toward AI, and the results tell a powerful story of trust, preparedness, and a significant confidence gap.
A snapshot of the divide between managers and team members
Let’s start by looking at the data.
Here’s what we found when we asked people across job levels about AI:
The consistent pattern is clear: Managers feel more confident, supported, and optimistic about AI than ICs. But confidence isn’t the whole story. There’s also a disconnect between how each group trusts its organization and its leaders.
When we asked broader questions about trust and leadership, we got more nuanced responses:
These numbers highlight a crucial takeaway: AI isn’t just a tech issue. It’s a trust issue.
Why the trust gap exists: Proximity, perspective, and power
So, why is there such a clear difference in levels of trust between managers and individual contributors?
1. Managers are closer to the strategy
Managers are often more involved in shaping how AI gets used. They help choose vendors, weigh use cases, and roll out change management strategies. As a result, they have visibility into the “why” and “how” of AI deployment, context that individual team members often lack.
That proximity creates a sense of ownership and opportunity. When companies talk about using Ai to boost team outcomes or reduce decision fatigue, managers often see the upside firsthand. ICs, on the other hand, may experience AI implementation as a top-down directive—something happening to them, not with them.
<<Help your people see AI as a friend and valuable partner in work. Get the full guide now.>>
2. Perceived career safety
While both groups harbor some concern that AI could impact jobs in their field (35 percent of managers vs. 33 percents of ICs agree), managers may feel more insulated from disruption. Their roles often involve nuanced decision-making, people leadership, and cross-functional collaboration with tasks that AI is less likely to fully automate in the near term.
ICs may see their work as more vulnerable, especially in administrative or process-heavy roles. And when upskilling isn’t clearly supported, that fear can escalate into disengagement.
3. The uneven distribution of support
This brings us to the most significant gap: trust in support and training.
Only 34 percent of ICs said they trust their company to train and support them in using AI, compared to 59 percent of managers. That’s a 25-point chasm in expectations.
This is about more than LMS content or AI toolkits. It’s about whether people feel seen. When team members don’t believe their growth matters to the organization, new technologies feel more like threats than tools.
What does this mean for HR and people leaders?
At HiBob, we believe that people leaders have a unique opportunity—and responsibility—to close this gap. It starts with understanding the human side of AI adoption. The best strategies don’t just showcase new technology. They focus on readiness, trust, and inclusion.
Here are five ways HR teams can act now:
1. Include everyone in the conversation
Too often, executives, IT leaders, and heads of strategy discuss AI in closed-door conversations. While these roles are important, so are the people actually using AI in their daily jobs.
Create forums where people can ask questions, share concerns, and learn what’s coming. Make room for bottom-up feedback. And remember: Inclusion isn’t just about who gets invited to the demo. It’s about who gets heard and is given a response.
2. Demystify the tech
You don’t need to turn every team member into a technical expert or prompt engineer. But you do need to explain AI in practical, relatable terms. How will it impact workflows? What skills will matter most going forward? Which parts of the job are evolving and which are staying the same?
Education can’t be an afterthought. Make AI literacy part of your ongoing learning and development (L&D) strategy, tailored by role and level.
3. Build AI into career conversations
Instead of letting AI spark anxiety about job security, use it as a springboard for development.
Start incorporating future-focused questions into your performance reviews, coaching sessions, or check-ins:
- What skills will you strengthen in the next six to 12 months?
- Where could AI support your work and make it more engaging?
- What projects might help you grow in this new landscape?
This turns uncertainty into action and signals that your company is investing in people’s growth, not just efficiency.
4. Show—don’t just tell—your commitment
Trust builds when words align with actions. That means offering real training, not just a press release. It means carving out time for experimentation, not expecting people to “figure it out” after hours or on their own. It means recognizing upskilling in the same way you recognize performance.
If people only see AI-related benefits concentrated at the top, belief in fairness and inclusion will erode.
5. Make trust a measurable metric
Trust can feel abstract, but it’s highly measurable. Run pulse surveys that ask:
- Do you feel confident using the tools your job requires?
- Do you trust your company to use AI fairly?
- Do you feel supported in adapting to change?
Use these insights to drive ongoing improvements, especially for groups who may be underrepresented or more vulnerable to automation anxiety.
<<Shift the AI narrative from skepticism to empowerment. Download the guide now.>>
Turning insight into impact
Let’s not lose sight of something powerful: According to HiBob’s research, people want to grow even amid uncertainty. More than half of managers (57 percent) and a third of ICs believe AI will make them more productive. That’s an invitation to lean in. But few people are receiving support around AI.
Only 12.2 percent of employees surveyed said they receive training on AI tools, and only 7 percent of CHROs implement reskilling strategies for jobs with a high probability of having tasks taken over by AI.
People need more access to technology. They also need time, training, and organizational investment to learn new ways of working together with AI. They need to feel invited into the future.
What’s at stake with the AI trust gap?
If organizations don’t close the AI trust gap, they risk more than lagging adoption rates. They risk:
- A divided workforce, with innovation excitement concentrated at the top
- Lower engagement and morals among team members
- Greater resistance to future transformation efforts
- Missed opportunities for inclusion and upskilling
But when people feel supported, trained, and trusted, they lean in, innovate, and become the bridge between what’s possible and what’s real. At HiBob, we believe the best HR leaders build policies, systems, and cultures that empower everyone.
<<Position AI as a trusted ally for your people. Download the guide now.>>
Recommended For Further Reading
Let’s build a future everyone believes in
The conversation about AI is a conversation about work itself—who it serves, who shapes it, and who thrives in it. Leaders can either reinforce the status quo or design a more human-centered path forward.
If you want to show your people they belong to the future of work, it’s not enough to just talk about technology. Talk about trust. Talk about training. Talk about your people.
The AI revolution isn’t only about algorithms. It’s even more about people. The companies that remember that will thrive.
Takeaways
- New HiBob research with 1,000 professionals in the United States and United Kingdom revealed clear differences in how managers and individual contributors view AI at work.
- The AI trust gap is real. Managers consistently report more confidence, optimism, and support around AI than individual contributors.
- Trust matters as much as technology. Employees need to believe their company will use AI fairly and invest in their growth.
- Key reasons for the gap include. Managers’ closer proximity to AI strategy, differing levels of perceived career safety, and unequal access to training.
- HR leaders can close the gap by:
- Including all employees in AI conversations and decisions
- Explaining AI in clear, practical terms
- Building AI into career development discussions
- Offering real training opportunities, not just announcements
- Measuring trust with regular surveys to guide improvements
- Action is critical. Without taking action, companies risk disengagement, resistance to change, and missed opportunities for inclusion.
- AI adoption can drive productivity, learning, and shared confidence across the workforce with the right support.
