GoTo finds workers wary of AI overreliance at work

GoTo has published research on employee and IT leader attitudes to artificial intelligence in the workplace, finding that half of employees believe they rely too heavily on the technology.

The report, based on responses from 2,500 workers and IT decision-makers across 10 countries, points to a widening gap between AI adoption and the policies, training and oversight many organisations have in place. It also suggests that while workers see clear productivity benefits, many are becoming increasingly uneasy about the effect of heavy AI use on judgement, skills and career prospects.

Among the headline findings, 30% of employees said they feel they cannot function without AI, while 39% said overreliance on the tools is eroding their skills and making them less intelligent. That view was more common among younger workers, with 46% of Gen Z respondents saying too much reliance on AI was making them less intelligent.

Pressure from employers appears to be a factor. Six in 10 employees said they feel pushed to use AI to improve productivity, even though many reported limited guidance on how to use it properly. Four in five said they are not using AI to its full potential, and 69% said they are not very familiar with how it can be applied in their role.

GoTo estimates that workers spend 2.6 hours a day on tasks AI could handle. Rich Veldran, chief executive of GoTo, said businesses still have a large gap to close between access to tools and effective use.

"The opportunity in front of us with AI is enormous. Employees are spending an estimated 2.6 hours every day on tasks that AI could handle, and in the U.S. alone, that translates to more than $2.9 trillion* in potential efficiency gains annually," Veldran said.

"At the same time, 80% of employees admit they aren't using AI to its full potential, and 69% aren't very familiar with how it can be practically applied in their role. This is a big opportunity for companies. Organisations need to invest in the right enablement, resources, and guardrails to help their people bridge that gap - and when they do, the productivity and economic impact could be staggering. The goal isn't just smarter technology; it's a smarter, more empowered workforce."

Skills concerns

The unease appears to go beyond dependence. Nearly three in 10 employees said AI is doing their job better than they can, and 28% said they have started trusting AI more than their own judgement. At the same time, 41% said relying too much on AI would damage their career prospects over the long term, rising to 50% among Gen Z.

The survey also found a sharp rise in the use of AI for sensitive or high-stakes work. Seven in 10 employees said they had used AI for such tasks, up from 54% the previous year. Those tasks included legal or compliance-driven work, work requiring emotional intelligence, safety-related tasks, strategic decisions, personnel actions, and handling sensitive or confidential information.

That trend carries operational risks. Nearly one in four IT leaders said AI mistakes had already affected customers, clients or their company's bottom line.

Workslop issue

Another theme in the report was the spread of poor-quality AI-generated output, referred to in the survey as "workslop". Some 43% of employees said they had used AI-generated content even though they suspected it was low quality or might contain errors or fabricated information.

Most respondents said AI-generated work creates extra checking rather than removing it. More than three-quarters said AI-produced work takes longer to review than work created by humans, while 66% said checking other people's AI "workslop" adds to their workload.

Dan Rasmus, founder and principal analyst at Serious Insights, said the issue reflects a failure by many employers to match AI deployment with management systems and training.

"AI adoption has outpaced organizational readiness. GoTo's 2026 Pulse of Work survey clearly captures that gap: employees are finding real productivity value in AI, but they are also encountering overreliance, uneven guidance, weak training, and uncertainty about trust," Rasmus said.

"The next phase of AI value will not come from simply putting more tools in people's hands. It will come from designing the management system around AI: practical policies, role-based enablement, human judgment, knowledge-sharing practices, and measurement that connect AI use to meaningful outcomes. Organisations that treat AI as a knowledge and work-design challenge, not just a technology rollout, will be better positioned to turn early productivity gains into durable capability."

Policy gaps

The study also found weak governance. Only 44% of IT leaders said their company has an AI policy. Even where a policy exists, 77% of employees and 47% of IT leaders said it needs improvement.

Training was another area where both groups saw shortcomings. Eight in 10 employees and 60% of IT leaders said most workers are not being trained properly to use AI tools. A further 65% of employees said employers are failing to equip staff with the skills needed as AI takes over more work.

Employees highlighted checking AI for accuracy and bias, knowing when to trust outputs, and applying human judgement alongside AI as important skills. They also said creative thinking, emotional intelligence and leadership would remain critical in workplaces making greater use of AI.

There was also a notable disconnect between staff and technology leaders on whether companies are doing enough to support responsible use. While 84% of employees said their employer could do more to encourage responsible AI use, only 48% of IT leaders agreed.

Budgeting and measurement also remain unsettled. Although 62% of IT leaders said more than 20% of their budget is allocated to AI-related technology or projects, 43% said their company is not measuring the return on investment from those tools very well.

Dan Schawbel, managing partner at Workplace Intelligence, said organisations need to focus on support as well as technology.

"Responsible AI use is about having the right tools and supporting the people who use them," Schawbel said.

"Our research highlights the importance of equipping employees with the skills, policies, and guidance they need to work alongside AI effectively. Companies that get this right will see productivity gains while ensuring their workforce remains confident, capable, and engaged."