A Nielsen survey of 500 directors and millions of monday.com workflows reveals the surprising drivers, blockers, and anxieties shaping AI adoption
AI has promised to radically change the future of work as we know it – but the full paradigm shift that it promised may not be happening right now.
At monday.com, we partnered with Nielsen to survey 500 directors across the US and UK on everything from AI adoption drivers to emotions around AI usage, then paired that data with insights from millions of monday.com workflows. We wanted to get to the bottom of how AI is actually being used and adopted today. This led to monday research’s AI at work: From vision to value report, and what we found challenges many assumptions about how AI is reshaping work.
The data reveals that rather than an AI revolution, we’re getting something more grounded, defined by real value rather than lofty vision. We’re calling it the Operational Era of AI, where the tools that win are the ones that are easy to use and actually being put to work, not the flashy ones with no near-term ROI.
Dive into more key findings below, and download the full report.
AI adoption drivers and blockers
It’s easy to say that AI in the workplace is on the rise, but the reasons driving that adoption are surprising. According to the Nielsen survey, directors cite speed (59%), accuracy (56%), and productivity (53%) as the top motivators for AI adoption, while innovation doesn’t even crack the top five reasons.
However, there’s still hurdles keeping directors from using AI more extensively at work, with data privacy and security concerns (40%) coming in as the top reason.
The research reveals interesting patterns in AI adoption across business sizes and industries. The sectors at the forefront of AI adoption and usage aren’t the ones you’d expect. According to monday.com platform data, construction and real estate are leading in AI usage, while industries like tech and finance – traditionally seen as innovators – are lagging behind. And while some may assume that enterprises are AI power users due to their greater resources, our research shows a clear pattern that the smaller the company, the more heavily each employee uses it.
There’s messy feelings around AI
For all the hype and leaders proclaiming confidently that AI is changing the world as we know it, there’s a quieter emotion lurking beneath the surface: guilt.
According to the Nielsen survey, directors at enterprises are 2× more likely to worry about being judged or discredited for AI use compared to mid-sized companies, while older directors (35+) feel this significantly more than younger colleagues. AI adoption is emotionally layered, and the shift from viewing it as cutting corners to accepting it as a baseline isn’t happening evenly.
When we look at gender differences, another feeling surfaces: self-doubt. Although women are using tools like ChatGPT and Claude more than men (58% compared to 44%), they’re also 80% more likely than men to say they only ‘know a little’ about AI. As our VP of Product, Seetvun Amir, shares in the report, this is “a powerful reminder that confidence and capability don’t always align.”
AI tool sprawl is reshaping adoption
What was supposed to unlock productivity has created a new problem: AI sprawl. 76% of directors report constantly switching between multiple AI tools to get work done. Only 2% rely on a single solution.
These scattered AI stacks are creating friction and doubt. The more tools in play, the harder it becomes to answer basic questions, compounding the data privacy concerns: Where does my data live? Who can access it? How is it being used?
In response, leaders are moving towards AI tools that they can actually trust and control. For some, this means a shift towards bringing AI in-house. Among companies currently using only external AI tools, 83% are either building internal solutions or planning to within the next year.
The data is clear: teams don’t want more tools, they just want stronger oversight and AI that can integrate into their existing systems.
What’s next?
Ultimately, 94% of directors now use AI at work. The tools are here, and adoption is happening.
However, the next phase won’t be about having more AI. It’ll be about building and using AI people can trust, easily use, and turn to without guilt. The companies that figure out how to deliver will help define what the future of the workplace – AI’s Operational Era – looks like.
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