Generative artificial intelligence (genAI) has firmly established itself in the modern business landscape. ADP Research’s latest ‘People at Work 2026‘ report shows that, on average, one in three employees worldwide uses it multiple times a week and one in five uses it almost every day. While the technology has rapidly become a routine tool, its mass implementation is having unexpected psychological and structural effects, redefining the concept of productivity.
The study exposes a surprising paradox. People who regularly work with AI are up to four times more likely to rate their productivity as lower compared to employees who do not use these tools at all. This phenomenon is a direct result of the changing nature of responsibilities. Algorithms are efficiently taking over repetitive, measurable tasks, opening up space for strategic and conceptual activities. As a result, traditional performance appraisal metrics no longer work, creating a subjective sense of lesser achievement in employees. On the other hand, technology clearly improves the so-called employee experience. Only 11% of daily AI users experience negative job stress, while this percentage rises to 23% among those who avoid these tools. Advanced users are less likely to fear losing their job and show greater satisfaction with teamwork.
The geographic and demographic map of GenAI adoption remains highly fragmented. Global digitalisation leaders are emerging markets, led by India, Nigeria and Vietnam. Europe shows more restraint. Poland ranks in the middle of the pack, with 12% of respondents admitting to using AI on a daily basis. This is lower than European leaders such as Switzerland or the UK, but higher than in France or Sweden.
The dynamics of tool implementation depends on local conditions. In Poland, technology is most quickly adopted by the youngest employees, and the size of the company has no impact on openness to innovation. By contrast, in China, it is the oldest age group that shows the highest technology saturation. In terms of gender, while in Poland there are no differences in use, in the USA men dominate, and in India women set the global record for daily interaction with algorithms.
Technical education of teams alone is not enough. The real challenge becomes the urgent reform of performance appraisal systems and the development of new managerial habits that allow organisations to translate higher employee engagement into real business value.
