B2 News Business Culture & Trends · May 22, 2026

Amid heavy AI use, workers say their skills are atrophying

Heavy AI use is weakening workers' skills and confidence, especially among younger employees.

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Workplace dependence on artificial intelligence has become increasingly widespread, with half of employees saying they depended too heavily on the technology. That's according to a new global survey of 2,500 workers and IT leaders by IT firm GoTo — and the findings paint a worrying picture of where AI use is heading.

The numbers on skill loss are striking. Nearly 40% of all workers say their reliance on AI has weakened their skill sets, and that figure jumps to 46% among Gen Z employees. Around 30% of workers now trust AI more than they trust themselves — and 41% admit their overuse of the tech is going to damage their long-term careers. That's not a fringe concern. That's a quiet crisis building inside the modern workplace.

When companies demand AI proficiency without providing the necessary training or effective policies to control its usage, misuse and poor-quality work become more common. The survey found that almost one in four IT leaders said AI-related mistakes had already affected customers or their company's bottom line. Meanwhile, 43% of workers admitted to using AI-generated content even when they knew it was low quality — often because they felt pressured to show AI productivity in the first place.

The accountability gap is equally troubling. A full 83% of employees worried they could be held responsible for an AI error, yet 17% of all workers — and 30% of Gen Z — admitted they had already blamed their own mistakes on AI. Companies are also struggling to gauge whether their AI investments are actually paying off, with 43% of IT leaders saying they weren't adept at measuring the ROI of the tools they'd rolled out.

GoTo's CEO summed it up well: the goal isn't just smarter technology — it's a smarter, more empowered workforce. Until companies pair their AI ambitions with real training and clear guidelines, the atrophy of human skills looks set to continue.

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📚 Key vocabulary

atrophy (verb)
to gradually become weaker or less effective through lack of use
"Critical thinking skills can atrophy if employees always rely on software to make decisions for them."
proficiency (noun)
a high level of skill or competence in a particular area
"The job posting required proficiency in data analysis tools and spreadsheet software."
adept (adj)
very skilled or experienced at something
"Our finance team has become adept at spotting errors in automated reports."
accountability (noun)
the fact of being responsible for your decisions and having to explain them to others
"Clear accountability structures help teams respond quickly when a project goes wrong."
gauge (verb)
to judge or measure the value, size, or success of something
"It can be difficult to gauge the return on investment of long-term leadership training programmes."

✨ Useful phrases for this topic

"gauge the ROI of"
Use this when discussing how difficult it is to measure whether an investment in a tool or programme is actually delivering results.
"Many managers struggle to gauge the ROI of new software platforms introduced during the digital transformation."
"feel pressured to"
Use this when describing a situation where someone does something not by choice but because of workplace expectations or culture.
"Several team members said they feel pressured to respond to emails outside of office hours."
"held responsible for"
Use this when talking about who is accountable when something goes wrong, especially in a professional or legal context.
"Project managers are often held responsible for delays even when the root cause is outside their control."

Advanced sentence structures

Patterns from this article you can use in meetings, emails, and everyday English

Structure 1

In context

Workplace dependence on artificial intelligence has become increasingly widespread, with half of employees saying they depended too heavily on the technology.

The skeleton

Frame: [Trend or situation] has become increasingly [adjective], with [fraction/number] of [people] saying [claim or observation].

What it does: Introduces a growing trend and immediately supports it with a specific statistic or detail.

Quick swap: "Remote working has become increasingly common, with a majority of employees saying they prefer it to office life."

More examples

  • "Online shopping has become increasingly dominant, with two-thirds of consumers saying they rarely visit physical stores anymore."
  • "Mental health awareness has become increasingly mainstream, with a growing number of schools saying they now offer dedicated counselling services."
  • "Gig work has become increasingly normalised, with nearly half of young adults saying they have taken on freelance roles alongside their main job."

Easy exercise

Arrange the words and add the missing structural elements to build a correct sentence.

  1. has become · AI distrust · widespread · increasingly · workers saying · their skills · are suffering
  2. has become · flexible scheduling · increasingly · common · employers saying · it boosts · retention
Show answers
  • "AI distrust has become increasingly widespread, with workers saying their skills are suffering."
  • "Flexible scheduling has become increasingly common, with employers saying it boosts retention."

Open exercise

Write your own sentence using this structure. You can write about anything — here are some ideas if you need them:

  • The growing use of AI tools in your own study or work
  • A change happening in your industry or profession
  • A shift in everyday habits, such as how people communicate or shop

One possible answer: "Video interviews have become increasingly standard, with most hiring managers saying they rarely meet candidates in person during early rounds."

Structure 2

In context

When companies demand AI proficiency without providing the necessary training or effective policies to control its usage, misuse and poor-quality work become more common.

The skeleton

Frame: When [subject] [verb] [object] without providing [necessary resource or condition], [negative consequence] becomes more common.

What it does: Sets up a cause-and-effect warning by showing what happens when a key condition is missing.

Quick swap: "When managers set ambitious targets without providing adequate support or resources, burnout becomes more common."

More examples

  • "When schools introduce new curricula without providing sufficient teacher training, inconsistent results become more common."
  • "When organisations expand into new markets without providing clear communication strategies, misunderstandings with local partners become more common."
  • "When hospitals adopt new software without providing hands-on guidance for staff, data entry errors become more common."

Easy exercise

Arrange the words and add the missing structural elements to build a correct sentence.

  1. companies · roll out · AI tools · without providing · proper guidelines · errors affecting clients · become more common
  2. governments · raise taxes · without providing · clear explanations · public opposition · becomes more common
Show answers
  • "When companies roll out AI tools without providing proper guidelines, errors affecting clients become more common."
  • "When governments raise taxes without providing clear explanations, public opposition becomes more common."

Open exercise

Write your own sentence using this structure. You can write about anything — here are some ideas if you need them:

  • Introducing a new technology or system at work or school
  • A policy or rule that is enforced without enough preparation or support
  • A personal situation where missing a key step caused problems

One possible answer: "When companies enforce strict return-to-office policies without providing flexible options or childcare support, high staff turnover becomes more common."

💬 Discussion questions

1

Have you ever noticed yourself relying on a tool or technology so much that a skill started to feel rusty — and what did you do about it?

2

Some people argue that using AI for routine tasks actually frees up human brains for more creative work. Do you think that's realistic, or is the skill-loss risk greater than the benefit?

3

If your company asked you to use AI more to boost productivity, but you felt it was affecting the quality of your work, how would you handle that conversation with your manager?

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