UK staff confident with AI but lack training & strategy

Hable research suggests many UK employees use AI tools at work without formal training or a structured rollout from IT teams.

The digital adoption and training firm surveyed 262 UK workers about attitudes to workplace AI and the level of organisational preparation. The sample skewed towards the public sector.

The results point to what the company described as a "confidence-capability gap". It found that 71% of respondents felt somewhat or very confident using AI tools at work. Only 32% said they had received AI training or had resources that help them use AI tools effectively.

Communications about AI appeared more common than practical deployment. Three in five respondents, or 60%, said they had received company-wide communication about AI. Nearly half, 48%, said their IT department had not formally rolled out AI tools.

Strategy gap

The research also found limited forward planning for AI. Just 41% of respondents said their organisation had an AI strategy in place going into 2026.

Hable linked the strategy gap to how organisations manage AI tools, policies and workforce skills. It also linked the findings to the growing presence of AI features in mainstream workplace software.

"A solid AI strategy will be the difference in a business being able to keep up to date with technological advances, and equip their team with the skills and confidence to adapt, versus falling behind and missing out. A good strategy will look like documented plans and policies relating to development and use of AI technologies, including how tools such as Microsoft Copilot - which is embedded across everyday Microsoft applications - are supported at scale. Surprisingly, our survey found that only 41% of organisations have an AI strategy going into 2026 - this is alarming. Whilst it's positive to see that more than half of workers were positively encouraged to use AI at work, encouragement without structure is a risk," said Mark Reynolds, Founder and CEO, Hable.

Hable's survey results suggest many employees rely on consumer AI experiences and familiarity with embedded workplace tools rather than formal corporate training.

Over two thirds of respondents, 68%, said no, or said they were not sure, when asked whether they had any resources or formal training on using AI at work. Hable said the high reported confidence level likely reflects widespread use of tools such as ChatGPT outside the workplace, alongside exposure to Microsoft Copilot inside Microsoft applications.

Mixed emotions

The survey asked respondents how they felt about the use of AI at work. It found apprehension ranked slightly above excitement. Almost half, 45%, used the word apprehensive. A further 43% used the word excited. One in eight, 12%, said they felt confused at the prospect of AI.

Hable linked apprehension to organisational support levels. Among respondents who said they were apprehensive, 74% said they had not had, or did not know of, any AI training or resources at work.

"Learning opportunities are the simplest way for an organisation to ensure AI adoption at work is consistent company-wide and to the same standard. In the same way that many organisations had to train employees on Microsoft Teams five or so years ago, or moving to the cloud 10+ years ago, AI tools require the same level of learning," said Reynolds. "This research highlights a real confidence-capability gap emerging in 2026, so organisations now need to match that confidence with proper learning and support so that their employees can excel with technological advances."

Career impact

Respondents also outlined how they expect AI to affect their careers. The most common expectation focused on day-to-day work. Making their job easier ranked first at 45%. Improving productivity followed at 44%.

Training and skills development also featured in expectations. Just over a quarter, 28%, said AI would help them learn new skills. Alongside those views, job security concerns appeared in the top five. More than a quarter, 27%, said AI would take away the need for their job or role. A similar share, 26%, said AI would create new opportunities for growth.

The company positioned the findings as an indicator that workforce interest and usage has outpaced formal organisational programmes. It also pointed to governance and risk questions for IT leaders where employees experiment with AI tools without a consistent approach across teams.

The survey results sit alongside wider consumer research on AI usage in the UK. Deloitte research cited by Hable found nearly one in five UK adults use AI daily or weekly.

Reynolds said organisations should treat workplace AI in the same way as other major technology shifts that required structured change programmes and training.