90% of Workers Want Creative AI Tools, Only 9% Use Them

A recent survey conducted by Adobe indicates a substantial disconnect between employee desire for creative artificial intelligence (AI) tools and their actual implementation in the workplace. The survey, which polled 1,002 full-time U.S. employees who use AI weekly across various industries, found that 90% of workers express a desire to utilize creative AI tools for tasks such as image and video generation, graphic design, brainstorming, and creative writing. However, only 9% of these employees report actively integrating such tools into their daily workflows.

Despite the low adoption rate of creative AI, a significant majority of workers acknowledge its potential benefits. The Adobe survey found that 72% of employees believe AI could enhance their creativity at work. Among those already using creative AI, 73% reported an improvement in their ability to communicate complex ideas. Nevertheless, employees estimate spending an average of 7.5 hours per week on tasks that could potentially be augmented by creative AI. Furthermore, one-third of workers expressed a desire to use AI for image and video generation but are not currently doing so.

Several factors contribute to this adoption gap, according to the survey respondents. Nearly half (47%) of those surveyed feel uncertain about how creative AI can be applied to their specific job roles. Other reported barriers include a lack of training or resources (29%), unclear company policies (29%), difficulties in integrating AI into existing workflows (27%), and the cost associated with AI tools (26%). The survey also noted variations in AI adoption across different industries, with those in the tech and innovation sectors showing higher rates of usage.