Companies are training staff for yesterday's jobs, not an AI future

The report, which includes insights from 35 enterprise leaders and nearly 1,300 workers, reveals a widening gap between available technology and human capability. Although 55% of employees are actively integrating AI into their workflows, only 33% have received any employer-provided training in the last six months. Nearly 30% of the workforce reports receiving no organizational guidance on AI whatsoever.

Experts argue that basic literacy is insufficient to drive business value. Current efforts largely focus on foundational prompting, ignoring advanced skills like managing AI agents or integrating automation into complex strategic processes. Furthermore, the infrastructure for learning is crumbling: fewer than half of employees feel they are given the necessary time, tools, or resources to experiment with these technologies during work hours.

Matt Rosenbaum, Principal Researcher at The Conference Board, suggests that the competitive edge will go to firms that move beyond simple workshops. Success demands a shift toward experiential learning, where staff can apply AI to actual business challenges. Without a systemic overhaul of how companies view workforce transformation, many organizations risk obsolescence as the nature of work shifts beneath them.