Workers report saving two hours per day through artificial intelligence tools, but enterprise leaders remain cautious about scaling the technology across their organizations, according to a new report from digital engineering consulting company Akkodis.
The report, based on surveys of more than 2,000 business leaders including 500 chief technology officers and 37,500 workers worldwide, reveals what the company calls a “confidence gap” between employees and leadership on AI implementation.
Worker confidence rising, leadership confidence falling
Three-quarters of workers say their leaders have sufficient AI knowledge, up from 46 per cent in 2024. However, only 62 per cent of leaders express confidence in their AI implementation strategies, representing a 20-point decline from last year, according to the report.
“AI transformation isn’t just about technology—it’s about people, trust, structure and shared capability,” said Jo Debecker, president and CEO of Akkodis. “This report shows that optimism from the workforce must be matched with system-level confidence from leadership.”
Workers are reinvesting the time saved through AI into creativity and strategy tasks, the report found.
Skills gaps and workforce concerns
CTOs identified skills gaps as their biggest barrier to transformation, yet only 20 per cent use technology to track or support employee skill development, the report found.
More than half of CTOs—57 per cent—expect AI to reduce workforce size over the next five years. However, 59 per cent plan to redeploy employees internally rather than eliminate positions, indicating a shift toward workforce adaptation rather than reduction.
Six recommendations for AI adoption
The report outlines six actions for organizations implementing AI: turn optimism into alignment, redesign skills as a partnership, elevate AI as a leadership tool, embed trust in hybrid workflows, scale systems with confidence, and build a culture of shared accountability.
The findings come from three studies: Adecco Group’s Global Workforce of the Future and Business Leaders 2025 reports, along with Akkodis’ 2025 What CTOs Think study on digital transformation.
Akkodis is part of the Adecco Group and operates in over 30 countries with 50,000 engineers and technology consultants.
