The gulf between workers who use generative AI every day and those who don’t is widening. According to PwC’s newly released 2025 Global Workforce Hopes and Fears Survey, employees who engage with generative AI daily report dramatically higher gains in productivity, confidence and compensation than their less frequent counterparts.
While 92% of daily users say the technology boosted their productivity in the past year, only 58% of infrequent users can say the same. Similar gaps appear in perceived job security and even salary growth, suggesting that AI is already reshaping global career trajectories in tangible ways.
The everyday AI habits giving workers a competitive edge
This new PwC survey suggests a striking confidence gap in those already getting ahead with artificial intelligence. Daily generative AI users are much more upbeat about the future of their roles, with 69% feeling optimistic about the year ahead. That’s a big jump compared with infrequent users at 51%, and an even bigger one compared with non-users at just 44%.
So what exactly are these AI-savvy workers doing differently? In many cases, it’s not about mastering complex models or building custom tools; it’s about weaving even the most basic AI capabilities into the fabric of their day. Daily users are using generative AI to draft emails, summarize long documents, prepare presentations, analyze data and automate repetitive tasks that once drained hours from their week.
And, increasingly, they’re using the same tools to finally move forward on personal projects they’ve been dreaming about for years. AI is helping people outline books, design logos, build business plans, map out career changes, develop online courses, prototype apps and even rehearse for job interviews—tasks that once might have felt too time-consuming or intimidating to start.
In addition, organizations could be doing more to help their employees thrive using artificial intelligence, the survey finds. Just half of non-managers indicated they feel they have access to adequate learning and development opportunities with the new tech, compared with two-thirds of managers and nearly three-quarters of senior executives. If a workplace isn’t AI-friendly, it can hold back the growth and development of everyone on the team.
Why early AI adopters are pulling ahead in the workplace
Based on current trends, those already leaning into AI are poised to widen their lead over the rest of the workforce in years to come, according to PwC. While 75% of daily users say they have the learning and development support they need, just 59% of infrequent users feel the same. And this is the pattern we see again and again: once professionals go all-in on AI—once they get comfortable and start relying on what these intelligence tools can do—the old way of working doesn’t just feel outdated. It feels like a place they could never realistically return to.
The data suggests AI is delivering two core benefits for today’s professionals. First, it’s giving them back precious hours: cutting through tedious tasks, reducing stress and easing that familiar sense of being swamped. Second, it’s helping them earn more. In this early phase of AI adoption, people are discovering that the technology elevates the quality of their work, sharpens their focus on what matters and gives them a clearer path to demonstrating their value and moving up the ladder.
AI skills now command a 56% wage premium
According to PwC’s latest AI Jobs Barometer, employees who know how to work with AI tools are earning a 56% wage premium compared to peers in the same roles who don’t have these skills—more than double the gap from last year. From finance to customer support, AI is taking hold everywhere, but it still needs skilled humans to guide it. Workers who can harness AI effectively aren’t just more efficient, they’re becoming indispensable. With routine work increasingly automated, knowing how to use AI creatively has become a highly prized skill and one that also shows up in the paycheck.
According to McKinsey, the biggest revenue boosts from AI are appearing in marketing and sales, strategy and corporate finance, and product and service development. But while AI may be the tool, humans are still the driver. Workers who know how to wield it effectively aren’t just completing tasks faster—they’re carving out a competitive edge that can last for years. Daily use of generative AI is helping professionals focus on what matters most, freeing up time and energy for higher-impact work that drives both personal growth and business results.
Even the simplest AI tools can be game-changing. From drafting emails and analyzing data to rehearsing for job interviews and mapping out career changes, AI is helping workers reclaim hours that once evaporated into administrative or repetitive tasks. And increasingly, people are using that freed-up time to finally make progress on personal projects they’ve long put off—writing books, building businesses, designing passion projects or upskilling in entirely new directions. The advantage goes to those who embrace the technology, integrate it into their routines and use it to amplify not only their professional output but also their long-term growth and aspirations.
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