Zapier today released findings from its AI Skills Crisis survey that revealed that while 94% of organizations already use AI in some capacity and 77% call workforce AI skills an urgent need, most companies haven't built the training infrastructure to match that conviction. The survey found that formal training reaches only 51% of IT and engineering teams, 43% of sales and marketing, 40% of HR, and 36% of legal.
63% of executives view AI literacy as mandatory (28%) or valuable asset (35%) for workforce.
Only 7% of organizations put HR or L&D in charge of AI training; 34% hand responsibility to IT and engineering leadership.
48% of executives say AI-focused roles command salary premium, but only 21% use formal assessments to evaluate AI effectiveness.
76% of executives say they have talent to hit AI goals despite training gaps.
Untrained workers are six times more likely to say AI makes them less productive (Zapier's previous AI Workslop research).
Survey of 542 U.S. C-level executives at organizations with 1,000+ employees.
The urgency is real and the intentions are good, but the training infrastructure is still a work in progress. Belief outpaces follow-through: 63% of executives view AI literacy as either mandatory (28%) or a valuable asset (35%) for their workforce, yet formal training reaches only a fraction of teams. Learning and Development (L&D) is missing in action, with just 7% of organizations putting HR or L&D in charge of AI training. Instead, 34% hand that responsibility to IT and engineering leadership. Companies pay for AI skills but can't measure them: 48% of executives say AI-focused roles command a salary premium, but only 21% use formal assessments to evaluate AI effectiveness. Confidence may be outpacing reality, as 76% of executives say they have the talent to hit their AI goals, a striking number given the training gaps, unclear ownership, and fast-moving skill requirements the same respondents flagged.
These findings build on Zapier's previous AI Workslop research, which found that untrained workers are six times more likely to say AI makes them less productive. Taken together, the data suggests that simply giving employees access to AI tools without structured training isn't just leaving value on the table. It is actively creating problems. Most organizations are stuck in a loop where they recognize AI skills are urgent but haven't figured out who owns the training or how to keep it current.
As Emily Mabie, Senior AI Automation Engineer at Zapier, stated: "The urgency is real and the intentions are good, but the training infrastructure is still a work in progress. You wouldn't hand someone a commercial kitchen and expect a Michelin-star meal without training. AI is the same. Buying tools isn't a training strategy. You have to help them develop the AI fluency that leads to impact."
Mabie added: "Most organizations are stuck in a loop where they recognize AI skills are urgent but haven't figured out who owns the training or how to keep it current. The fix doesn't have to be complicated. Instead of pulling people into a classroom, bring the training to their work. Start with the workflows your teams already run, build AI into those, and let people learn by solving their actual problems. That's more effective than any seminar."
About the Survey
The survey was conducted by Centiment for Zapier March 30–31, 2026, with 542 completed responses from U.S. C-level executives and decision-makers at organizations with 1,000 or more employees. Margin of error is approximately +/-4% at a 95% confidence level.
About Zapier
Zapier is an AI orchestration platform that connects 9,000+ apps to help companies automate workflows and improve productivity. Since 2012, millions of users have trusted Zapier to automate everything from lead routing and data synchronization to customer conversations, all without writing code. From startups to Fortune 500 companies, organizations worldwide trust Zapier to streamline operations, reduce errors, and accelerate growth through intelligent automation.
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