The AI paradox: Frontline workers want it most, but get it the least

There’s a disconnect hiding in plain sight inside most organizations right now, and it has nothing to do with engagement scores.

Your frontline workers (the people on the floor, on the road, behind the counter, without corporate email, and doing shift work) are among the most enthusiastic about what AI could do for them. They see the potential of AI to help them better stay on top of work information, onboard faster, and increase their productivity . They want access. And in the vast majority of cases, they simply don’t have it.

That’s an execution problem. And it’s quietly compounding your retention risk, productivity drag, and compliance exposure at the same time.

When Firstup surveyed more than 6,000 employees across North America and the United Kingdom in early 2026, a striking pattern emerged around AI.

In North America, hourly workers were more likely than corporate office workers to believe AI could improve workplace communication: 42% versus 30%. Yet 60% of those same hourly workers have never used AI tools at work. And when asked why, the answer wasn’t hesitation or fear of the technology. It was access. Sixty-four percent said they simply don’t have access to the tools they need.

The UK data tells the same story. Thirty-seven percent of hourly workers believe AI could improve workplace communication, compared to 29% of office-based employees. Yet 68% have never used AI at work, and 68% cite lack of access as the primary barrier.

The employees most affected by communication breakdowns are also the least equipped to benefit from the tools that could fix them.

Ready to dive in? Read the reports now

→ Download the North America Report

→ Download the UK Report

Before going further, it’s worth addressing a common misconception head-on.

The dominant narrative in many boardrooms and HR conversations is that frontline workers, particularly older ones, are resistant to or afraid of AI. Our data shows that assumption simply isn’t borne out.

Across nearly every age group in the UK survey, from 25 to 65+, the top barrier to AI use was lack of access, not skepticism or fear. Among UK workers over 65 (often the group most labeled as AI-resistant), 64% cited access as the primary barrier. The North American data tells a similar story.

This aligns with Gallup’s Q3 2025 workforce research, which found that frequent AI use is strongly associated with managerial support and strategic integration—not age, attitude, or aptitude. The people not using AI aren’t people who don’t want it. They’re people who haven’t been given it.

This matters because many organizations are investing in change management programs to overcome imagined resistance, while leaving the most basic barrier, access, completely unaddressed.

So, frontline workers don’t have AI tools. Is that really a big deal when there are so many other competing priorities?

Yes. Here’s why.

Firstup’s research found that communication breakdowns have a measurable and serious impact on business outcomes across all roles.

Workers across both regions are also spending significant time just searching for basic information. In North America, 43% of corporate office workers and 37% of managers spend three or more hours per week hunting for what they need to do their jobs. In the UK, those figures are 34% and 37%, respectively.

Sixty-one to 67% of North American employees across roles report missing an important policy or procedural update. In the UK, the range is 62–76%.

These aren’t abstract data points. They’re hours of lost productivity, compliance gaps, safety risks, and, critically, reasons people leave. More than 1 in 5 employees across both regions said that miscommunication makes them want to look for a new job.

AI-powered communication tools could meaningfully close these gaps. Employees know it, which makes the lack of access even more frustrating for them..

In both North America and the UK, the top AI use cases hourly workers identified were improving efficiency, improving communication, and improving productivity.

Workers on the frontline are acutely aware that they currently receive information through fragmented, unreliable channels. Many rely on personal email, SMS, and messaging apps for workplace communication because their organizations haven’t provided anything better.

Thirty-nine percent of UK hourly workers report receiving workplace information through personal channels like WhatsApp or personal email. In North America, 62% of managers, the primary conduit for critical updates, are using personal channels to share information with their teams.

There is no audit trail for a WhatsApp message. There is no confirmation of receipt. There is no way to know whether a safety update, policy change, or shift modification actually landed.

Again, AI-powered communication platforms can change all of that, but only if frontline workers have access to them.

Firstup’s findings are reinforced by wider industry data. Gallup’s research through Q4 2025 [https://www.gallup.com/workplace/699689/ai-use-at-work-rises.aspx] found that nearly half of all U.S. employees (49%) report no AI involvement in their roles at all.

AI use remains heavily concentrated in knowledge-based positions: 77% of technology workers use AI, compared to just 33% of retail workers and 37% of those in healthcare and manufacturing.

The gap isn’t closing on its own. In fact, Gallup data shows a “use deepening” trend: employees who already have access are using AI more frequently, while those without access remain static. Organizations that aren’t actively bridging this divide are allowing the gap to widen.

Gallup also found that broader AI adoption among employees is strongly associated with managerial support and strategic role integration, not organic, individual discovery. Frontline workers won’t gain access on their own. Organizations have to build it in.

Here’s another complicating factor.

Managers are the most trusted source of workplace information in both North America and the UK. In the UK, 50% of hourly employees say their direct manager is their most trusted communication source. In North America, that figure is 43%.

At the same time, 70% of North American managers and 77% of UK managers report challenges communicating effectively with their frontline teams. They lack time, resources, and tools. Fewer than one in three feel very confident that their communication approach actually keeps their team compliant.

This creates a dangerous combination: the people employees trust most to relay critical information are the least equipped to do so reliably.

When those same managers also lack AI tools to help them draft clearer messages, find answers faster, or confirm message receipts, the whole system becomes fragile.

While AI doesn’t replace the manager relationship. It can strengthen it.

There’s one more thing worth saying, because it’s easy to get this wrong.

Giving frontline workers access to AI tools is a start, but it’s not the finish line.

Employees don’t just want information. They want to act on it in the same place and moment they receive it.

Confirming a shift. Acknowledging a policy change. Submitting a request. Today, these actions often require leaving one system, navigating to another, and hoping the update gets recorded.

When AI is properly integrated into communication platforms, employees can do all of this in a single, seamless interaction, reducing friction and dramatically improving compliance.

Treat enablement as part of your engagement strategy, not a separate IT initiative. The two are inseparable.

Across both surveys, employees identified the same priorities beyond pay: feeling cared for, improving workplace communication, and providing better tools and technology.

In the UK, 54% of hourly workers specifically want better communication. In North America, 48% say the same.

These aren’t abstract aspirations. They’re clear requests for investment in the infrastructure that makes people feel valued, connected, and able to do their jobs.

AI, deployed thoughtfully and equitably across all roles, is one of the most powerful ways an organization can signal that it takes those requests seriously.

The employees who most need these tools have already told you they want them. The question is whether your organization is ready to close the gap.

Don’t wait to get started

The data is in. The desire is there. The technology exists.

What’s missing in most organizations is a deliberate decision to extend AI-powered communication infrastructure to the frontline, not just to desk-based employees.

Explore the full findings from our 2026 State of Employee Engagement reports to see exactly how communication gaps are affecting your industry, and what you can do about them.