Everyone Is Talking About AI. Not Enough People Are Talking About Managers.

Gallup’s April 2026 workplace AI data shows that access alone does not drive adoption: employees are far more likely to use AI when managers support it. Here are some tools to get managers started.

Gallup’s 2026 State of the Global Workplace data makes something very clear: managers may be one of the most important factors in whether AI adoption actually works. In addition, the general data show “lower engagement among managers accounts for most recent downtown in employee engagement.” In a time of technology-driven transformational change, managers matter more than ever.

As of February 2026, only 21% of employees strongly agree that their manager supports their team’s use of AI. That number matters because when employees do feel strong manager support, they are 1.7 times as likely to use AI a few times a week or more and 7.4 times as likely to say AI gives them more opportunities to do what they do best every day (Gallup).

Read more at: https://daniellegilliam.substack.com/p/everyone-is-talking-about-ai-not