1 in 3 staff admit sabotaging AI

Nearly one in three employees admit they're sabotaging their company's AI plans.

Among millennial and Gen Z staff, it's 41%. That comes from Writer's 2025 survey of 1,600 knowledge workers, and the sabotage ranged from flatly refusing to use the tools to quietly working around them.

So if your team is still doing things the old way, some of them may be doing it on purpose.

It looks like bad behaviour. In my experience, most of it is fear.

When a sensible person pushes back on AI, it's nearly always one of four fears, and each one needs its own fix.

1. Loss. They think it's coming for their job. Tell them plainly what their job looks like afterwards.

2. Effort. The new way is slower for the first couple of weeks. Warn them before it starts, so the slow fortnight comes as no surprise.

3. Confidence. They're afraid of looking stupid in front of the people they work with every day. Nobody says that one out loud, so it comes out as "the old way was fine." The fix is showing them one to one, away from the group.

4. Support. They don't believe anyone will help when they get stuck. Name the person they can ask, and make sure that person has the time to answer.

Before you blame the tool or the person, work out which of the four you're actually dealing with. A training session won't fix a job fear, and a reassuring chat won't fix a confidence problem.

The old way only wins because it feels safer, so your job is to make the new way feel just as safe.