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New research from Cornerstone OnDemand reveals that 81% of employees who use artificial intelligence (AI) keep it secret from their managers or colleagues.
The findings highlight a massive corporate blind spot, as 80% of all UK workers have now integrated AI tools into their workflow, with nearly two-thirds (63%) using the technology weekly or more often.
This hidden adoption is driven partly by a significant lack of official support, with 51% of employees reporting they never or rarely receive the necessary AI training or official tools from their employers.
The Cornerstone data suggests secrecy is fuelled by apprehension. Among those who feel embarrassed about using AI, reasons include fear of being seen as cheating (32%), general fear of judgement (29%), and stigma around AI quality (28%).
This is occurring despite workers citing huge benefits: 55% value the time saved, 49% note improved accuracy, and 38% use AI to enhance creativity.
The research also uncovered a growing AI skills gap linked to income. While nearly half (47%) of employees earning £55,001 or more often or always receive formal AI training, this number plummets to just 16% for those earning £15,000 or less.
This disparity leaves lower-income and ‘deskless’ workers particularly exposed, pushing many toward unapproved and unsecured external systems—a move that increases the risk of data leaks and costly mistakes for businesses.
Dominic Holmes, Principal, Value & Strategy EMEA at Cornerstone, stressed the urgency of addressing this imbalance.
“It’s important that lower-income workers, who are typically more skill-based, receive the training they deserve. Without this formal support, lower-income workers are often left behind, relying on AI informally and without organisational guidance.”
Holmes concluded that businesses must invest in transparent, structured training for all salaries to bridge this gap, ultimately building “a more confident, transparent, and future-ready workforce.”
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