We’ve all heard the hype: AI is the great equaliser. But new data from Multiverse suggests that, right now, it’s doing the exact opposite.
Instead of a level playing field, we’re seeing a widening AI adoption gap that threatens to leave a huge portion of the workforce in the digital dust.
The reality? Most companies are treating AI upskilling like a generic software update. But as the numbers show, a one-size-fits-all approach is a recipe for stagnation.
The Seniority Divide: Who’s Actually Using AI?
The most striking trend in our latest analysis is the massive disparity in daily AI usage based on job level. While 52% of mid-level workers collaborate with AI daily, only 21% of junior employees do. This 30-percentage-point gap presents a pipeline problem: If the next generation of talent isn't learning to work alongside AI today, we’re creating a future skills bottleneck.
The research also found a significant divide between those steering the ship and those doing the specialised, day-to-day tasks. Of middle managers, 48% are using AI regularly, while only 20% of individual contributors do the same. When nearly half of managers are leveraging AI but only a fifth of their direct reports are, the productivity gain of AI stays trapped at the top, rather than fueling the engine of the entire team.
While senior staff and middle management have leaned into the tech, junior employees and individual contributors are being left to figure it out on their own.
The Perception Gap: A 17-Point Reality Check
It’s not just that usage is uneven—it’s that leaders often don’t realise how uneven it is. There is a significant disconnect between what’s happening in the C-suite and what’s happening on the ground: 59% of leaders believe their teams are regularly engaging with AI, but in reality, only 42% of employees are doing so.
This 17-percentage-point perception gap suggests that while leaders are sold on the vision of an AI-powered workforce, they haven't yet provided the practical, job-specific pathways to get there.
The Solution: Training for the Real World
The bottom line is clear: One-size-fits-all upskilling benefits no one. You can't give a data analyst and a marketing coordinator the same prompt guide and expect magic to happen.
That’s why we’ve expanded our portfolio of AI programmes to make sure we can teach anyone, in any job, how to use AI to be more effective at work. To date, we’ve trained 1,220 unique job titles. Today, we’re taking that a step further by introducing:
- AI Solutions Builder: Designed to develop agentic AI experts who design custom tools to boost productivity.
- AI Transformation Architect: To train experts to orchestrate and scale automation across the entire enterprise.
Whether you're looking to empower a junior contributor or train a specialist to overhaul your entire workflow, the training must be as specific as the role itself.
Ready to Close the Gap?
If you’re ready to move past the AI hype and start seeing real-world ROI across your entire organisation, we’re here to help. Learn more about our full offering here.
