Nearly half of employees are concealing their AI use at work, but the reasons why reveal a disconnect between how employers understand AI adoption and what’s actually happening on the ground, particularly among the youngest workers.
According to analytics platform Slingshot’s 2025 Digital Work Trends Report, which surveyed 500 full-time U.S. employees and managers, 45% of workers keep their AI use private to some extent. Yet 60% of employers believe their teams are being fully transparent about AI usage. This perception gap illuminates a misunderstanding of workplace AI dynamics, one that’s especially pronounced across generational lines.
The fear factor: Why Gen Z conceals AI use
While 45% of employees overall say they don’t disclose AI use because they simply don’t think it’s necessary, Gen Z tells a different story, according to the Slingshot report. For workers ages 18-28, the primary reason for concealing AI use is fear of judgment, cited by 47% of Gen Z respondents. A close second: Forty-four percent worry that colleagues will think they’re cutting corners.
This anxiety stands in contrast to older generations. Millennials, Gen X and Boomers don’t disclose their AI use primarily because they don’t feel obligated to, according to Slingshot. The data shows 57% of Gen X, 47% of Boomers and 44% of Millennials cite this as their main reason for not pointing out AI use. It seems that established workers may feel secure enough to use AI without explanation, while younger workers fear professional repercussions.
The fear might be tied to a deeper sense of tech uneasiness. A recent Gallup survey released by the Walton Family Foundation and GSV Ventures found that more than four out of 10 Gen Zers feel anxious about AI technology overall. Among adult Gen Zers specifically, that number jumps to 53%, more than double the 21% anxiety rate among school-aged members of the generation.
The real threat to entry-level workers
Gen Z’s anxiety about using AI at work could stem from a sense that jobs are scarce. The World Economic Forum’s analysis of global labor markets reveals that while overall joblessness remains low, youth unemployment is rising sharply. In the U.S., the rate for young workers hit 10.8% in July 2025, compared with 4.2% for workers of all ages, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. This doesn’t just apply stateside. The WEF also reports that in 2024, 1.2 million U.K. graduates competed for just under 17,000 entry-level positions.
The perception of AI as a job threat could influence how young workers engage with the technology. Entry-level openings are down 29% year over year according to WEF data, creating a volatile environment where Gen Z workers must demonstrate AI proficiency while simultaneously fearing that proficiency signals their replaceability.
Employers misread the room
For HR leaders, understanding workforce AI usage requires looking beyond generational differences to broader patterns that affect all employees. While Gen Z’s fear of judgment is pronounced (47%), the disconnect between employer and employee perceptions spans all age groups.
According to Slingshot, around half of employers believe employees hide AI use due to job security fears, but only about a quarter of employees actually cite this as their reason. Meanwhile, employers dramatically underestimate how many workers simply view AI as part of their normal workflow. Only 16% of employers think this explains nondisclosure, when 45% of employees say it’s their primary reason.
This misalignment suggests employers are projecting their own concerns about AI disruption onto their workforce. They may miss the reality that many employees have already integrated AI into their daily work without fanfare. The problem isn’t necessarily that employees fear replacement. It’s that they fear judgment for using a tool that leadership hasn’t explicitly normalized.
