The ride has begun (but few know the route)
The rush to get on board
The ‘AI bus’ has already left the station. Over the next three years, 92% of companies plan to increase their AI investment, yet only 1% describe themselves as “mature” – where AI is truly embedded into workflows and driving measurable outcomes (McKinsey, 2025).
People know they need to get on board. Yet few feel they know quite where it’s heading.
The AI story so far is one of rapid acceleration: pilots, prototypes, and promises of transformation. But for many organisations, it’s still unclear who’s actually driving – and whether the humans on board feel confident, capable, or even included in the journey.
The AI readiness gap
According to Corndel’s 2025 Workplace Training Report (UK), 88% of HR leaders believe their leadership teams are ready for AI – yet only 39% of employees say they’ve received any AI training.
The optimism gap is clear: Leaders feel ready. Employees feel left behind.
And it’s not just about knowledge – it’s about perception. So why do these gaps persist, even in organisations that talk endlessly about digital transformation?
The AI perception gap
In his 10 Critical Insights on Individual AI Adoption (Prosci, 2025), Tim Creasey highlights what he calls the AI Perception Gap. Across a study of 1,100 participants – executives, team leaders, and front-line workers – Prosci found dramatic differences in how AI is viewed. Executives reported high trust in AI outputs and ease with AI tools, while front-line workers reported significantly lower trust and greater difficulty using them.
In plain English: leaders believe AI is working for them, but employees aren’t so sure. That gap isn’t technical; it’s emotional and experiential. Executives see efficiency and strategy. Employees see disruption and risk. Until we bridge that divide, AI change will remain a boardroom vision rather than a workplace reality.
The critical co-drivers: AI and leadership
Leaders and L&D are the co-drivers of this bus.
- Leaders set the tone for AI culture – but culture isn’t a memo. It’s modelled behaviour. When leaders experiment openly with AI tools and share their own learning curve, they send a powerful message that adaptation is expected and supported.
- L&D becomes the transmission belt that turns ambition into capability. They design the learning pathways that help people understand both the “how” and the “why” of AI use – not just what buttons to press, but when to pause, question, challenge or even override the machine.
Together, leaders and L&D can turn the AI Perception Gap into a learning gap that can be closed.
When both groups pull in the same direction, AI adoption becomes less about “rolling out AI tools” and more about building capability. AI is already reshaping how learning is designed, delivered and measured – but The Future of L&D Report 2025 by Access Learning reminds us that ethics and governance must mature alongside innovation. That balance is what defines successful adoption: learning fast, but learning safely. This will allow us "to embrace innovation without losing sight of what makes learning deeply human".
When both groups pull in the same direction, AI adoption becomes less about “rolling out AI tools” and more about building capability. AI is already reshaping how learning is designed and delivered – but the Workplace Learning 2030 report reminds us that ethics and governance must mature alongside innovation. That balance is what defines successful adoption: learning fast, but learning safely.
Keeping humans in the loop
The organisations that will thrive aren’t those with the most algorithms – they’re the ones where humans stay firmly in control. AI maturity isn’t about replacing judgement with automation; it’s about enhancing human insight and creativity. That’s what Human-in-the-Loop really means – turning AI from a risk into a partnership.
It’s why structured, practical learning pathways (such as those in Learning Pool’s AI Collection - coming soon!) matter so much. We want to give people the confidence to experiment responsibly and the skills to steer AI, not just use it.
From passenger to driver
In our upcoming webinar, Generative AI at work: Turning hype Into measurable impact, Lindsey Coode and Amira Kohler will reveal how forward-thinking organisations are closing the critical gaps between investment and maturity, leaders and employees, and technology and trust.
The AI bus is already moving. Make sure you’re the one driving it and everyone knows where it’s heading.
Join us on Thursday 4 December at 2 PM (GMT).
