A recent study by Gallup indicates that the benefits of artificial intelligence in the workplace are not being distributed evenly. The research, conducted between January 26 and March 24 of 2026, surveyed 15,482 U.S. employees and found that regular AI usage is significantly higher among college graduates and managers than among other workers.
The study reveals that college graduates are more than twice as likely as those without a degree to use AI on a daily or weekly basis, with usage rates at 40% versus 17%. Similarly, managers are more likely to be regular users than individual contributors, with usage rates of 37% compared to 25%.
The findings show a correlation between AI usage and job quality. Employees who use AI at least weekly are more likely to hold a quality job, with 52% of these users reporting a quality job compared to 32% of those who never use AI. The study also notes that higher-paid workers are more likely to report that AI helps them work faster; 70% of those earning $10,000 or more a month report this benefit, versus 58% of those earning less than $4,000 a month.
Researchers caution that further research is needed to determine if the relationship is causal or if the same subgroups who tend to have quality jobs are simply the ones adopting the technology. Molly Blankenship, associate vice president of strategy and impact at Jobs for the Future, noted that the benefits risk reinforcing an existing divide rather than closing it.
