2025 Digital Work Trends Report
AI adoption has quickly risen to the top of companies’ to-do lists to drive operational efficiencies, increase employees’ productivity and empower data-driven decisions.
Slingshot’s 2025 Digital Work Trends report explores employer and employee sentiment around AI in the workplace, examining how it’s used, companies’ requirements for AI use and perceptions of AI transparency. Slingshot surveyed 500 full-time U.S. employees and managers, across four age groups, to understand how employers and employees differ in their approach to AI and how AI use and transparency differ across generations.
PART 1: AI TRANSPARENCY IN THE WORKPLACE
According to Part 1 of the 2025 Digital Work Trends report, many employees are keeping their AI use at work private. The report reveals a disconnect between employers’ assumptions about why employees aren’t disclosing AI use–and employees’ actual reasons.
Nearly half of employees hide their AI use at work
Despite growing adoption of AI in the workplace, nearly half (45%) of employees report keeping their AI use at work private to some extent.
Yet, most employers (60%) believe that employees are being fully transparent about their AI usage.
Employees don’t feel the need to disclose AI use
Employees’ main reason for hiding their AI usage is because they don’t feel it is necessary to disclose it (45%). This can be because they see it part of their normal workflow, it doesn’t affect work outcomes or there’s no official company policy they need to adhere to.
While many employees may not feel their AI use is necessary to share, more than one-third (34%) are using AI quietly as they’re worried others will think they’re cutting corners and 27% say it’s because they fear they will be judged.
Gen Zers feel the most pressure about being judged for AI use
Most Gen Zers (ages 18-28) say the main reason they conceal their AI use is out of fear of being judged (47%). A close second, many of these young workers also worry that others will think they’re cutting corners (44%).
The top reason Millennials (ages 29-44) (44%), Gen X employees (ages 45-60) (57%) and Boomers (ages 61+) (47%) don’t disclose their AI use is because they don’t think they have an obligation to. These generations may feel more comfortable using AI because they’ve already established themselves in their roles, or they use it less frequently than their Gen Z colleagues.
Employers believe the cause of hidden AI use is job security fears.
Almost half (47%) of employers believe a lack of AI transparency is caused by employees’ job security fears. However, only 24% of employees say this is the reason they keep their AI use private.
While 45% of employees hide their AI use because they don’t feel it’s necessary to disclose, only 16% of employers think that’s the reason. It’s likely because employers assume an intent behind hidden AI use, when many employees simply see it as part of their daily workflow.
Employees are embracing AI at work on their own.
Only 28% of businesses require employees to use AI tools.
Despite not many businesses requiring it, 87% of employees are using AI voluntarily. Many employees see value in AI and are experimenting with it on their own.
Two-thirds (66%) of employees are curious about using AI, showing an openness to integrate AI into their workflows–even if it’s not required.
AI in the workplace is starting to outpace after-hours use
While more employees (33%) say they use AI more frequently (or solely) at work than at home, AI’s mainstream appeal is slowly working it into employees’ personal lives.
Thirty-one percent (31%) of employees say they use AI at work and at home equally, and 22% say they use AI more in their personal life than they do at work.
Gen Zers (ages 18-28) are using AI in their personal life more than the office (36%), while Boomers (ages 61+) use AI more at work (46%). Millennials (ages 29-44) and Gen X workers (ages 45-60) both say they use AI equally in the office and at home (42% and 35%, respectively).
Managers are leading AI maturity in the workplace
Employees say they primarily use AI to check or improve their work (54%) and draft emails, reports and other written content (52%)–but employers have their sights set higher.
Managers and higher-level executives say they use AI for more strategic work, including analyzing team and business data (56%), conducting research (52%) and managing team priorities (47%).
Companies say their use of AI has had a significant impact on their go-to-market strategy: 68% say they have saved a week or more in their go-to-market process with the technology.
