The 6 biggest AI adoption challenges for businesses in 2026 (and how to overcome them)

Most companies are spending millions on AI tools yet employees use them far less than expected.

Not because the technology is bad. Not because people are luddites. But because 70% of AI transformation budgets go to tech, when 70% of the actual problem is people.

In fact, companies that flip this equation, investing in humans over hardware, see employees use AI 3x more often.

So why is everyone still doing it backwards?

This guide breaks down the six biggest AI adoption challenges and shows you exactly how to fix them.

Say you roll out a new AI tool. Employees are excited… But then, no one uses them.

In customer-facing roles, employees may hear or read that AI could replace jobs.

What L&D leaders can do: Present a clear message from leadership about AI’s purpose in the organisation, so employees feel confident about using AI tools.

Over 600,000 learners enrolled in AI courses on Go1 in the past year. The most popular topic wasn’t "advanced prompt engineering" or "AI strategy." It was "AI awareness and safety."

This is a fundamentals gap.

Your employees, including your tech team, aren't asking "How do I optimize this?" They're asking, "Wait, what is this? And will I get fired if I use it wrong?"

What L&D leaders can do: Recognise that not all employees begin with the same level of AI understanding. Some are starting from foundational questions.

Start with foundational training to improve AI literacy to cover what AI actually is, how to use it safely, and when it's appropriate to apply. Build role-based learning pathways so customer service reps aren't sitting through the same training as data scientists. Meet people where they are, not where you wish they were.

Go1's Upskilling Playbook walks you through exactly how to create an AI adoption strategy.  You’ll identify knowledge gaps, create role-specific learning paths, and implement AI training for employees that actually sticks, from getting leadership buy-in to measuring ROI.

Go1's Upskilling Playbook walks you through exactly how to create an AI adoption strategy.  You’ll identify knowledge gaps, create role-specific learning paths, and implement AI training for employees that actually sticks, from getting leadership buy-in to measuring ROI.

Download the Go1 Upskilling Playbook for free →

Quick poll: If you stopped any employee in the hallway and asked "What's our company's AI strategy?”  What would they say?

 If you suspect many employees would struggle to explain your company’s AI strategy, you’re not alone. The other half are making it up: Googling "ChatGPT for work," and hoping they don’t share confidential information.

And then we wonder why 47% feel unsure or actively concerned about AI at work. People are resisting not knowing what you want them to do with it. 

What L&D leaders can do: Create a roadmap that actually answers: “What's expected of me? How does this fit my role? Where do I go if I get something wrong?”

Who owns AI adoption at your company? An informal assignment to whoever is perceived as “tech-savvy” isn’t the same as designating clear ownership.

In fact, 75% of L&D leaders say AI ownership is unclear at their organizations. That means three-quarters of companies are trying to transform their workforce with no one clearly in charge.

When employees don't know who to ask, executives can't track progress, and L&D is stuck reacting instead of leading strategy.

What L&D leaders can do: Define ownership now. Make decision-making transparent. Give employees a single source of truth. Watch adoption rates climb.

 Proving ROI on AI training can be challenging, especially for qualitative outcomes.

Most L&D leaders only feel confident when they're actively monitoring learning outcomes not just deploying training and crossing their fingers.

Without clear metrics, you can't measure the ROI of AI adoption. Without proving value, you can't secure investment. And without investment, you're stuck in a loop where AI adoption goes nowhere.

What L&D leaders can do: Define what success looks like in your AI adoption roadmap. Is it usage rates? Time saved? Employee confidence scores? Pick metrics that connect to business outcomes your exec team cares about: productivity gains, faster project completion, reduced manual work.

Go1's AI Maturity Matrix benchmarks your organization against industry peers and ties your AI learning strategy to strategic metrics, not just training completion rates. It's how you turn "are people using this?" into data leadership will actually listen to.

Take the AI Maturity Matrix Assessment for free →

Here's what keeps Chief People Officers up at night: ethics and data privacy. Here's what keeps service employees up at night: “if I use this AI chatbot incorrectly, could this lead to a compliance breach or legal risk?”

The gap between "AI is a tool" and "AI feels secure and confidential" is where adoption dies.

What L&D leaders can do: Train employees on ethical and compliant uses of AI, meaning the guardrails, not just the tools. When people understand what's allowed, what's risky, and what's prohibited, they'll experiment thoughtfully instead of avoiding AI altogether.

You can buy every AI tool on the market. You can hire consultants. You can rebrand your entire platform as "AI-powered". But if your people don't trust it, don't understand it, and don't know what you expect them to do with it? You’ve invested in tools that are unlikely to deliver value if employees don’t adopt them.

The companies winning at AI adoption in 2026 are the ones who invested in their people first with clear strategy, role-specific training, and honest communication.

That's where Go1's AI Maturity Matrix comes in. 

The Matrix benchmarks your organization against over 1,000 mid-market companies and shows you exactly where you're ahead and where you're falling behind. You'll see how your AI learning strategy stacks up, then you get tailored next steps to close the gaps with all the frameworks for successful AI adoption you need. Not generic advice, but specific actions based on where your organization actually is.

Take the AI Maturity Matrix for free →