It’s a finding that’s echoed in Stanford’s 2026 AI Index: Countries like India exceeded 80% in trust and consistent AI usage, while the U.S. hovered at around 50% on both metrics.

Why so much optimism in developing countries like Saudi Arabia, Mexico, and India? One clue lies in a  KPMG study that found that 90% of people in emerging economies expect to benefit from AI applications. For them, it’s a tool for upward mobility rather than a driver for job displacement. They also say that, for them, AI has led to improved fairness, creativity, and other positive outcomes. 

While AI hesitancy could potentially hold American workers back, leaders can take concrete steps to reverse this trend and drive AI adoption. 

The reasons for American skepticism

While job loss is a concern for workers in developed countries, the data shows that American skepticism isn’t just about employment. American workers say their AI pilots don’t work out because the tools they’re working with deliver untrustworthy, generic outputs.

But maybe they’re not failing enough: The Salesforce study also asked respondents whether they have ever experienced unsuccessful AI pilots. Interestingly, workers in the highest-adoption markets were more likely to report having experienced failed AI pilots than people in the U.S. They tried, tried again, and got it right and are now more willing to embrace AI as a core part of their work. 

This tension around pilots, paired with a lack of institutional trust and heightened data privacy and security concerns, suggests that many enterprise environments aren’t offering the right tools to foster consistent, daily usage and graduate to full enterprise rollouts.

The productivity upside of AI is real, but only for those who actually use it. 

The antidote: A better experience 

The Salesforce study identified over 500 workers who did successfully graduate from AI pilots, that is, workers who’ve moved past experimentation and now use AI as a consistent or core part of their workflow. 

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These workers, or “AI’s A-team,” share some key characteristics.

• Training: They receive training to improve how they leverage the technology.
• Experience: AI is embedded directly into the tools they already use. To them, “great AI” is natural, conversational, and intuitive.
• Trust: AI that is secure and context-aware is considered “nonnegotiable.”
• Customizable: They want AI that can be tailored to their specific role. 

The result? Seventy-six percent of those workers become active AI advocates, and 63% use it daily. 

“When we get AI fluency right, AI moves from a technology innovation into a workforce advantage. It’s the difference between deploying tools and actually changing how work gets done,” said Nathalie Scardino, President and Chief People Officer at Salesforce. 

At Agentic Enterprises like Asymbl, for example, AI is thoroughly folded into daily use, with agents tailored to hundreds of different roles, resulting in millions of dollars of ROI.

For leaders, the lesson is straightforward: Workers don’t need to be told AI is good for them. They need the training, experience, and security to use it in a way that builds trust and keeps them coming back. Build the right conditions for that resilience and trust, and even failure becomes a feature of progress.

Salesforce Survey Methodology: In partnership with YouGov, Salesforce conducted a double-blind online survey among over 1,500 desk workers, defined as workers who consider their day-to-day job primarily mental labor over manual or task-based labor and were required to have at least minimal familiarity with AI, in Australia, India, Japan, Singapore, France, Germany, Italy, Netherlands, Spain, Saudi Arabia, United Kingdom, Mexico, United States, and Canada. The survey was conducted from December 2025 to January 2026. The sample is representative across job roles, industries, and business size.