A study of over 3,100 workers in the UK and US reveals that individual AI use in organisations is increasing, with 72% of workers using AI at least weekly for their individual work, and 4 in 10 using it daily. 68% of workers are enthusiastic about AI, and 75% expect AI will transform how we work within the next two years.

However, employees lack faith that companies are putting AI to use across the whole organisation. 67% believe their company is still in AI ‘pilot mode’ and IT leaders are pulling back on the AI investments they made in 2024. Similarly, despite ‘agents’ being hailed as the next frontier for AI, only 18% of organisations have successfully scaled AI agents across their organisation, while 32% have no current implementation plans or strategies. This is according to a new report, ‘Scaling AI in 2025’ from Asana Work Innovation Lab.

Despite this, 29% of workers believe their company is scaling AI across the whole organisation. These companies are seeing significantly higher ROI from AI than those that are still only using AI in pockets of the company or certain teams. Companies with integrated AI solutions are more than twice as likely to report reduced digital exhaustion from using AI (59%) than those without integration (28%).

The IT department leaving the rest of the organisation behind when it comes to AI

Whilst only 29% of workers believe AI has moved out of the ‘pilot’ phase in their org, IT leaders refute this, with 55% believing it has moved beyond the pilot phase. This points to a noticeable gap between the perception of the IT department vs workers themselves.

This boils down to the use of AI on a daily basis. 76% of IT leaders have a strong understanding of how AI can impact day-to-day work, while only 44% of all knowledge workers say the same. 37% of employees also say there’s no clear owner of AI strategy, compared to just 13% of IT leaders.

Saket Srivastava, CIO at Asana comments: “Without alignment between IT and the business, AI doesn’t scale, it stalls. You get technology without context, training without application, and implementation without accountability. The tools show up, but the impact doesn’t. But when IT and business leaders align around a shared vision – with clear ownership, shared goals, and real enablement – AI moves from isolated wins to organisation-wide transformation.”

Greater education is needed around AI agents

When it comes to AI agents at work, 39% of workers said they are excited about the potential, but only 27% are confident in their ability to use them. 45% are curious to learn more.

Asana’s study explored some of the reasons that employees may be holding back from embracing AI agents – understanding, experience, and infrastructure.

• Most employees still don’t know what AI agents are: Only 41% of workers can correctly define AI agents
• Hands-on experience is rare: 32% of workers say they’ve never used – or barely know – what AI agents are
• Lack of policy: only 16% of workers are confident their organization has a policy for AI agent use

Organisations using AI across all teams see increased revenue

When looking at long-term success, IT leaders are optimistic about when they will truly start to see ROI from AI. 54% said they expected to see it within 12 months and 23% said within 1-2 years. However, there are clear differences in ROI at organisations using AI across all teams, vs just some teams.

Companies that have scaled AI across all teams see higher productivity, reduced digital exhaustion, and increased revenue gains. AI ‘Scalers’ are 43% more likely to report revenue gains and 40% more likely to say using AI has increased employee productivity.

However, organisations that look beyond efficiency-focused ROI measurement to human-centric measurement, such as how employees’ wellbeing is being impacted, are gaining greater insight and impact. Only 11% of organisations track user adoption of AI – one of the clearest indicators of whether AI is actually being used and delivering value.

Dr. Rebecca Hinds, Head of Asana Work Innovation Lab, comments: “Our latest research confirms a growing divide. While most organisations are still dabbling in pilots and disconnected tools, a rising group of AI Scalers is pulling ahead. They’re not waiting for the perfect roadmap. They’re building it – into their infrastructure, workflows, and culture. And it’s paying off. The future of work isn’t about AI as a side tool. It’s about scaling AI until it becomes the backbone of how business gets done.”

To download the full ‘Scaling AI in 2025 Report, see here: https://asana.com/resources/scaling-ai-in-2025