Gallup Q2 2026: For the First Time, More Than Half of U.S. Employees Use AI at Work

My take: For the first time since Gallup began measuring this, more than half of U.S. workers are using artificial intelligence in their jobs. Fifty-two percent now apply it at least a few times a year, compared to just 27% two years ago. This is not a future trend; it is the present.

What stands out most in the study isn't the headline number, but what holds people back or accelerates them: workers who apply AI to seven or more types of tasks report a 90% productivity rate, compared to 45% among narrow users. The tool is the same for everyone; the difference is how deeply you integrate it into your work.

If you're an employee or freelancer, the question isn't whether to use AI, but how broadly you're using it. And if you're a manager or business owner: are you measuring whether your team uses AI, or how many different tasks they're actually applying it to?