TrustedTech unveiled the second phase of its AI workforce research, uncovering a deepening confidence gap across the American labor force. The report found that workers facing the greatest risk of AI displacement are also the least supported in preparing for that transition.
As organizations race to embed AI into daily operations, TrustedTech’s data exposes a workforce fracture that is not driven by aptitude or ambition, but by a near-total failure of employer-led training. While AI is routinely marketed as a productivity equalizer, the research identifies what TrustedTech calls the “AI Skills Underclass,” better understood as front-line and mid-level workers navigating AI adoption largely alone, without the guidance, tools, or confidence to do so safely or effectively.
According to the Shadow AI in the Workplace report:
- 78% of organizational decision-makers feel confident using AI at work, versus just 43% of the workers below them.
- The workers whose roles are most vulnerable to AI automation are the least equipped to adapt. 36% of employees report self-teaching as their primary route to AI skills, compared to just 23% who received any formal employer training.
- 46% of U.S. respondents say their organization lacks adequate training on safe and secure AI use, outpacing the already troubling 44% global average.
- 41% of workers say they lack clear guidance on how AI should be used at work, creating the exact conditions that drive ungoverned, unapproved AI use across organizations.
- 48% of employees believe their employer is primarily responsible for AI upskilling, yet the training infrastructure to meet that expectation does not exist for the majority of workers.
- Among workers who actively avoid AI tools, 24% cite a lack of knowledge, and an equal 24% cite fear of being replaced by the very technology their employers have failed to train them on.
The confidence gap is not a symptom of workers falling behind, it is the direct consequence of organizations moving forward without them. When AI upskilling flows exclusively to those already in positions of authority, the divide compounds: leaders grow more capable and more confident, while the workers beneath them grow more exposed and more afraid. The data makes clear this is not an individual failure. It is a structural one.
“Organizations have prioritized deploying AI tools over preparing the people who use them,” said Julian Hamood, Founder of TrustedTech. “The workers most at risk of displacement are receiving the least investment and that is not a coincidence. The confidence gap our data reveals is not a talent problem. It is a leadership failure, and it has a solution.”
Closing the AI confidence gap requires more than access to tools, it requires structured, organization-wide readiness that maps training to role vulnerability, not just seniority. TrustedTech’s Copilot Readiness Assessments provide exactly that: a clear roadmap that moves organizations from ad hoc, ungoverned AI adoption to scalable, secure deployment, with visibility and support built in at every level of the workforce, not just the top.
“The workers most likely to be replaced by AI are the same ones most likely to avoid it out of fear because no one has shown them how to use it safely or effectively. That cycle does not break on its own. Structured AI readiness is how organizations stop leaving their most exposed employees behind,” added Hamood.
TrustedTech works with organizations to help them navigate this evolving landscape by providing the strategic guidance, governance frameworks, and technical expertise needed to adopt AI responsibly, ensuring that innovation does not come at the expense of security or compliance.
For the full whitepaper report, “Shadow AI in the workplace,” please visit the website here.
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