AI Usage Is on the Rise in the Enterprise

How can you navigate AI adoption and usage at a large enterprise? Workday’s chief people officer and senior vice president of technology and architecture share their insights.

Maria Valero July 8, 2025
Group of coworkers in conversation

Breaking news: [Insert buzzy technology] has taken the world of work by storm, providing opportunities for unprecedented levels of productivity to be realized. 

Does this sound familiar? If you’re a pre-internet-person, this probably isn’t the first time you’ve heard this narrative because history tends to repeat itself and AI is no exception.

Similar to the World Wide Web’s effect on work, AI is prompting humans to reshape everything about work—how it gets done, who does what, and how success is measured. It’s creating new skills, entirely new functions, and jobs that didn’t exist just a few years ago are populating job boards.

But there’s a problem: Only 1 in 10 US employees are leveraging AI weekly according to Gallup, signaling a large usage gap. And like internet usage, AI usage, proficiency, and comfortability can take some time. 

In a recent Fortune interview featuring Workday Chief People Officer (CPO) Ashley Goldsmith, and Senior Vice President (SVP) of Technology and Architecture Jim Stratton, the discussion covered Workday’s efforts to normalize AI usage within the Workday talent pool through an “EverydayAI” initiative. Here are some takeaways.

Only 1 in 10 US employees are leveraging AI weekly according to Gallup.

Storming, Norming, Performing

Does more AI mean less human workers? It’s a sobering thought, but it’s far from the present day reality. AI taking the world of work by storm isn’t true in a literal sense, but it can feel that way to some–especially in the “Storming” phase of our AI journey.

When HR professionals are deciding how to enable AI adoption within an organization it’s critical to consider human feelings about and perceptions of AI. It’s counterintuitive for humans to want to use a technology that has the potential to replace them. 

However, organizations require constant growth to be successful and stay competitive long-term. So in many senses, more AI doesn’t mean less humans—but it does mean less unproductive humans. 

Continuing with the example of the internet, more internet didn’t mean less human workers. It meant more productivity. With AI, this is very similar.

During the discussion, Stratton acknowledges these perceptions head on. On the fear workers may have around companies requiring fewer employees to do the same amount of work, Strutton acknowledges “That could be true, but the way we view it, particularly on the development side of things, we can get more done with the same number of people so we can just go faster in terms of delivering more product.”

Research from PwC backs that opinion, suggesting an anticipated 26% increase in GDP for local economies by 2030, translating to $15.7 trillion added to the global economy. And of that global economy boost, $6.6 trillion is coming from productivity alone.

"We can get more done with the same number of people so we can just go faster in terms of delivering more product.”

Jim Stratton Senior Vice President of Technology and Architecture Workday

The headwinds of change from AI have a silver lining.

Embracing EverydayAI

In order to grasp where Workday employees stand with AI usage, the teams leading the EverdayAI initiative started by gathering data. 

Through this exercise to have next steps on the adoption journey backed by data, the team discovered that 43% of Workday employees said they lacked sufficient time to explore AI and more than a third of employees expressed uncertainty about how to use these new tools. 

This was a stark reality to face. “Here we are wanting them so badly to explore, but they don’t feel that they have that time or that permission,” says Goldsmith. “What we’re working on is really changing the mindset.” 

Everybody wants to be good at what they do. Raising your hand to use valuable hours at work towards something you’re not proficient in can feel counterintuitive and intimidating—but it’s increasingly valuable for organizations to have adaptable employees and an overall agile workforce.

Permission to not be proficient was the key here, so the EverydayAI team got to work creating a space for employees to explore.

Adoption in Action

In order to shift the workforce from a state of hesitancy to curiosity, Workday introduced a number of initiatives that would drive AI usage and adoption, specifically:

  • Championing usage: Workday championed internal use cases of AI and showcased them to all employees in a townhall, increasing visibility into AI usage and inspiring employees.

  • Upskilling: By developing a digital academy for all employees, Workday was able to provide learning and development opportunities for this new technology, increasing comfort and confidence in AI usage.

  • Tying AI usage to employee success: Anecdotal and unstructured usage of AI is well and fine, but structured usage is even better. By requiring everyone to have a goal relating to AI skill development, Workday employees heard a call to action to adapt.

Sometimes the simplest approaches create the biggest impact. And by creating the correct measures of success at the beginning of this exercise, the EverydayAI team was able to pulse check whether these efforts were leading to tangible outcomes.

“Here we are wanting them so badly to explore, but they don’t feel that they have that time or that permission. What we’re working on is really changing the mindset.” 

Ashley Goldsmith Chief People Officer Workday

With a goal to increase AI usage by 20% at the beginning of the year, the team was thrilled to learn that 79% of employees are leveraging AI at present thanks to these initiatives. In other words, almost four times the initial goal was achieved in just over 6 months.

Tools range from Workday’s own AI chatbot Workday Assistant, to AI features from vendors including Zoom, Google, and Slack and generative AI-specific tools, AI adoption is now well underway at Workday. 

AI’s Silver Lining

Workday's success with its EverydayAI initiative offers a powerful blueprint: AI adoption is fundamentally about people.

By acknowledging human concerns, fostering a culture of exploration, and actively supporting skill development, organizations can bridge the usage gap and unlock the immense potential of AI. 

The future of work with AI isn't one of replacement, but of enhancement, where human ingenuity, empowered by intelligent tools, drives unprecedented productivity and innovation.

Feeling the strain of rapid market changes on your talent strategy? Develop a plan to define goals, evaluate possible vendors, and unlock workforce potential with the right skills technology in this Workday Buyer's Guide.

Learn how to power the future of work with AI.

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