New study finds AI adoption is accelerating while workplace norms, leadership behaviors, and trust struggle to keep pace.
Escondido, CA—August 3, 2026—Blanchard, a global leadership development company, today released new research examining how artificial intelligence is changing leadership, workplace culture, and the human experience of work. Based on a survey of employed adults, including an equal number of people leaders and individual contributors, the findings suggest that while AI adoption is accelerating rapidly, organizations have been slower to establish the shared expectations and leadership behaviors needed to support its responsible use.
Among the study’s findings:
- 57% of leaders report using AI daily or more than once a day, compared to 37% of individual contributors.
- 64% of individual contributors believe AI will change what strong performance looks like within the next 12 months.
- 87% of leaders say they visibly model AI use, while only 54% of employees say they want to see more of those behaviors.
- Employees continue to value uniquely human capabilities, including judgment, creativity, coaching, empathy, and connection, as AI becomes more integrated into everyday work.
One of the study’s most notable findings is the emergence of what Blanchard describes as an AI shadow culture - the unwritten norms employees develop around when to use AI, when to disclose it, how much to trust it, and what constitutes responsible use. The research suggests that these behaviors often emerge long before organizations intentionally define them.
“Organizations often believe AI culture begins when they publish an AI policy. Our research suggests it begins much earlier in the everyday decisions employees make about when to use AI, how much to rely on it, and when human judgment should prevail,” said Leah Clark, Vice President, Thought Leadership at Blanchard. “If leaders don’t intentionally shape those expectations, employees naturally create their own. The future of AI won’t be determined by technology alone. It will be shaped by the cultures leaders create around it.”
Beyond adoption, the research explores five leadership challenges organizations must address as AI becomes part of everyday work, including the development of shared AI norms, building trust, strengthening leadership credibility, and cultivating the uniquely human judgment that technology cannot replace.
The report concludes that successful AI adoption is becoming less of a technology challenge and more of a leadership opportunity. Organizations that intentionally develop trust, clarify expectations, and strengthen human capabilities will be better positioned to realize AI’s benefits while preserving the human side of work.
The full report, The Human Factor: How Leadership and Workplace Culture Will Determine AI’s Success at Work, is available for download here.
About Blanchard
Blanchard is a global leadership development company that helps organizations build leaders who bring out the best in people and drive performance. For more than 45 years, Blanchard has partnered with organizations worldwide to develop leadership capabilities that drive engagement, performance, and lasting organizational success. Learn more at www.blanchard.com.
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