Senior managers are outpacing employees and leading the charge when it comes to AI adoption and integration across the UK.

This is according to a study from Indeed and YouGov, which polled more than 3,400 senior managers, employees, and HR decision makers across the UK.

The survey found that 57% of senior managers are using AI at work, compared to just half (50%) of HR decision makers, and less than half (45%) of employees.

Senior managers are also using AI most frequently, with nearly a quarter (22%) using AI daily and three in four (77%) using it at least weekly. This is compared to under two thirds (63%) of employees, and just over half (56%) of HR decision makers using AI weekly.

Even with their higher rate of adoption, less than half (48%) of senior managers, just 41% of HR leaders and 35% of employees think AI will create more solutions than problems in their companies.

When it comes to quality of work, there is a larger divide, with 45% saying that AI will lead to better outputs, with 18% disagreeing. Employees are more split, with 29% thinking AI will lead to better outputs, 26% disagreeing, and 45% saying they are unsure.

Employees are more likely to believe that AI will lead to deskilling (47%) than upskilling (24%), while senior leaders are more divided (38% vs 37%).

When it comes to hiring, the Indeed and YouGov survey found some interesting results: only 18% of HR decision makers and 39% of senior managers reported using AI in the hiring process.

Among those HR leaders who do, AI is used mainly for decision making using data (54%), candidate screening via chatbots (47%), job description optimisation (45%) and CV screening (42%).

While AI has not been wholly integrated into the hiring process, about half (52%) of senior managers and 50% of HR leaders believe AI will have a beneficial impact on the efficiency of recruitment. Almost all (96%) of HR leaders already using AI say it has made a positive impact on their hiring work.

AI is also impacting how workers feel about their roles, with 71% of senior managers feeling the most positive, compared to 64% of HR decision makers and just 54% of employees.

Only 42% of employees feel positive about their future job prospects compared to the 60% of senior managers who do.

Recommended reading

• AI Adoption Growing Among Scottish Businesses, Reports IoD
• AI Adoption Stumbles as Report Highlights Employee-leadership Disconnect
• Data Quality Challenges Stall AI Adoption Progress

Employees also have less trust in their company when it comes to acting in their best interest: while 55% trust their organisation for support, only 42% think their company will make decisions benefiting their employees.

A third of employees also say they do not feel prepared to support their mental wellbeing at work, as work-life balance and burnout plague various sectors.

“As businesses move quickly to adopt AI and boost productivity, our findings are a timely reminder: progress should be matched by meaningful investment in trust, transparency, and employee wellbeing,” Matt Burney, senior strategic advisor at Indeed said.

“At a time when trust is faltering and wellbeing concerns are rising, it’s essential that AI adoption doesn’t widen the gap between leaders and teams. With more UK businesses integrating AI into hiring and broader workflows, leaders have a responsibility to build people-first strategies that prioritise clear communication and long-term support. The goal isn’t just efficiency, it’s empowerment.”