The AI Skills Crisis: What New Research Reveals About Your Workforce

New research was just published, and if you’re responsible for workforce development or AI deployment at your organization, you need to pay attention to this.

Bright Horizons and The Harris Poll surveyed over 2,000 American workers age 18+, and the data paints a stark picture: 42% of employees expect AI will drastically change their role within the next year. Meanwhile, one in three employees feel completely unprepared for that change.

This amounts to a serious retention crisis, a productivity problem, and a competitive disadvantage all rolled into one.

Let me share some findings from the study, explain why I think it matters, and give you some advice about what you can actually do about it.

The Pressure Is Real (and Rising)

Here’s what stood out to me most in this research: 32% of workers now say they feel more pressure to learn new workplace skills because of AI. That’s up from 26% last year.

But it gets more interesting. According to the data:

• 42% of employees say their employer expects them to learn AI on their own (up from 32% in 2024)
• 81% feel pressure to take on more work
• 80% say they’re expected to deliver it faster
• 79% feel pressure to keep up with new technologies

The fact is that many of your employees are really struggling right now. They’re being asked to do more, faster, with new tools they haven’t been trained to use. And when you layer on the reality that AI is fundamentally changing how work gets done, you’ve got a workforce that’s stressed, uncertain, and looking for guidance. Organizations need to really think about whether they’re providing that guidance and avenues of growth, here.

The Training Gap Has Measurable Business Consequences

One very positive finding in the study is that an organization’s L&D leaders can make a real difference. It turns out that when you actually train your employees on AI, adoption jumps from 25% to 76%. That’s a three-fold jump, so, quite meaningful.

Another hopeful insight is that trained employees are:

• Significantly more likely to feel prepared for AI-driven change (84% vs. 48%)
• More satisfied with their careers overall (91% vs. 82%)
• Far more likely to say AI makes their job easier (86% vs. 59% of all employees)

Meanwhile, 55% of employees say access to AI training or certification would make them more likely to stay with their current employer. Another 85% say they’d be more loyal to an employer that invests in continuing education.

So there’s a real bump to employee retention, productivity, and satisfaction. That could be a huge competitive advantage for companies.

What Employees Actually Want (Hint: It’s Not Theory)

I spend a lot of time talking with organizations about AI literacy, and one thing I’ve learned is that employees don’t want generic “Introduction to AI” courses. They want practical, job-relevant training that helps them do their actual work better.

The research backs this up. When asked what AI training topics they want, employees said:

• How to use AI effectively in their current role (39%)
• Where AI can improve their day-to-day work (38%)
• How to draft more effective prompts (24%)
• How to evaluate AI output for accuracy and bias (28%)

In other words, when it comes to AI, what they want most is actual skills training.

The Short-Form, Stackable Learning Preference

Here’s another insight that aligns perfectly with what we’re seeing at Data Literacy: 68% of employees who’ve pursued additional education have opted for short-term, stackable options like online courses, certificates, or boot camps.

Why? Because employees need to upskill without taking a huge, single chunk of time away from their jobs, and without accumulating debt.

The research shows that 77% of employees would be likely to participate in AI training if it were offered for free by their employer. So, basically, many are ready and willing, and what they lack is the opportunity.

The Retention Equation You Can’t Ignore

Okay, so, what about what happens when you decide not to invest in your employees’ skill development.

According to the data, 48% of employees say fear of student debt has stopped them from pursuing additional education, and 34% say they can’t advance in their careers because they can’t afford to take on student loan debt.

Meanwhile, there are some big challenges with the status quo of work for many people. While 87% say they’re satisfied with their careers, dig into the priorities and you’ll see a different story emerging:

• 57% want to earn a raise
• 43% want to establish better work-life balance (up from 35% last year)
• 35% want to reduce stress (up from 29% last year)

So a lot of people are feeling burned out. They’re being asked to do more with less guidance, and they’re looking for employers who will invest in their development. Instead, what many are face with is an employer who demands that they figure it out on their own.

I really believe that the employers who get this right will have a massive advantage in retention. On the other hand, the ones who don’t will keep losing their best people to organizations that actually support career growth.

What This Means for Your Organization

So the AI skills gap is real, it’s measurable, and it’s getting wider.

The good news is that the solution is straightforward: train your employees. They’ll participate if you offer it, and when you do, the results are dramatic: higher adoption, better preparation, improved satisfaction, and stronger retention.

At Data Literacy, we’ve built our AI literacy programs specifically to address what this research reveals. We focus on:

• Role-based training that’s relevant to how people actually work
• Practical application over theoretical concepts
• Short-form, stackable learning that fits into busy schedules
• Context-specific examples drawn from your organization’s real challenges

Over the years, we’ve found that generic data and AI training doesn’t move the needle. Training that’s custom-designed for your team’s actual roles, actual challenges, and actual workflow, on the other hand, can lead to real behavior change.

The Time to Act Is Now

42% of your employees expect AI to drastically change their role within the next year. One in three feel unprepared for that change. And your competitors are reading the same research you are.

The question isn’t whether you need to invest in AI literacy training. The question is: how quickly can you move?

Because the skills gap isn’t waiting for anyone. And neither is the competition for talent.

Ready to close your AI skills gap? Let’s talk about what practical, role-based AI literacy training looks like for your organization. Contact us to schedule a consultation and we’ll create a custom roadmap based on your team’s specific needs.

Want to see the full research? Download the complete 2025 EdAssist Education Index here.