Only 7% of the Workforce Is Great at Using AI, New Section Research Finds

Section’s AI Proficiency Report finds “the AI class” is saving up to 30% of their time using AI – but they’re still in the minority.

Section, the business school for the age of AI, announced the publication of their latest research today – the AI Proficiency Report.

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Section's new research - the AI Proficiency Report - found that only 7% of the knowledge workforce has unlocked AI's potential. (Photo: Business Wire)

The study reveals the emergence of an “AI Class” in the knowledge workforce, a small segment of workers who are saving up to 30% of their time each week using AI. The AI Class use AI every day, for more than 3 use cases, and they’re 25% more productive than everyone else – but they only make up 7% of the knowledge workforce today.

Section surveyed over a thousand knowledge workers in the United States, Canada, and the UK to test proficiency, knowledge, and usage of AI. They uncovered 4 distinct AI types: the AI Class (7%), AI Experimenters (25%), AI Newcomers (57%), and AI Skeptics (11%).

“The majority of professionals have barely played around with AI, even though our data shows it can save workers up to 12 hours a week,” says Greg Shove, CEO of Section. “This should be an issue of top concern to organizations, particularly those looking to cancel LLM contracts because of low ROI. The tool isn’t the problem – it’s your adoption strategy.”

The report finds that daily and diverse use of AI directly correlates to productivity gains:

• The AI Class uses AI every day (87%) and see as much as 12 hours of time saved per week
• Skeptics use AI rarely or never (88%) and see no productivity gains at all
• The AI Class almost exclusively (99%) uses paid AI tools
• 95% of the AI Class use AI as a thought partner – versus just 2% of AI Skeptics

The data also emphasizes the importance of building strong prompting skills. Those who know how to prompt effectively are more likely to feel optimistic about AI, use it more, and see productivity gains and time savings.

Company policies also play a significant role in how proficient and efficient knowledge workers are with AI:

• 96% of AI Class members are in companies with clear AI approval, as compared to just 39% of AI Skeptics
• 44% of AI Skeptics are in companies with no AI policy at all
• Only 2% of people receiving formal AI training remain AI Skeptics

“Employees are hearing either hype or doom on AI from the media, and they need their companies to step in and take a strong stance on deployment and training,” says Shove. “Our research shows only 2% of people who received formal AI training remained skeptical about its abilities.”

“I hope the evidence in this report will light a fire under you,” Shove says. "If you are expecting your workforce to benefit from AI, deploying an LLM is not enough. Clear AI guidelines, great training, and effective change management are all needed to get ROI out of AI.”

Download and read the full report for free.

About Section

Section is the online business school for the age of AI. They offer business courses in a fast, live, cohort-based format focused on helping you augment your day to day work with AI. Section has taught 44,000 students across 95 countries and partners with 200+ enterprise clients to train their future leaders. Founded in 2019 by NYU Professor Scott Galloway and led by serial entrepreneur Greg Shove, Section is backed by General Catalyst, Learn Capital, GSV Ventures, Activant, and other individual investors, including Jeff Bewkes and Tim Armstrong. Learn more at sectionschool.com.

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