How to handle AI resistance among employees

AI is no longer a novelty—it’s as essential as search engines were in the late 1990s. At this rate, avoiding AI could jeopardize someone’s career growth. But in every organization, some employees still resist adopting AI. 

They don’t want to leverage tools like Microsoft Copilot or GitHub Copilot, citing (valid) reasons from skepticism to fear. This article offers practical, people-centric strategies to address that resistance and lead with empathy.

While AI has added tremendous value to many industries, there’s still a heavy dose of doubt and uncertainty among employees. I’ve found that there are typically three types of AI-resistant employees:

Some people believe that artificial intelligence is overhyped and irrelevant to their work. They argue that their specific industry isn’t a good fit for AI. 

Their concerns vary by field. In healthcare, for instance, they worry about hallucinations and misinformation. In manufacturing, they cite the challenge of integrating AI with older systems. And in hospitality, they worry AI might impair highly personalized customer service.

Across industries, naysayers are also concerned about the lack of quality data. (This isn’t entirely without merit, but it’s not a reason to reject AI.) These skeptics are waiting for the excitement around AI to fade, hoping they can eventually say, "I told you so."

Some employees see AI as intimidating or too difficult to learn. Many laggards assume AI is the domain of data scientists and feel overwhelmed by the idea of catching up.

They’ve gotten so comfortable with that status quo that learning something new is simply too much work. As a result, they keep postponing their AI learning. 

There’s also another variant of this group. These individuals are so busy or tied up with their current workload that they don’t have time to learn AI skills.

Some individuals fear AI will replace their jobs. Instead of learning AI to stay relevant, they refuse to expand their skillset, believing the “AI takeover” is inevitable.

Unless they skill-up and start to leverage AI to improve their performance, they may indeed be replaced—not by AI, but by AI-savvy colleagues.

These concerns are understandable. After all, AI is a major change. You can guide your employees through this transition with thoughtful leadership and organizational support. Here are five effective strategies to overcome AI resistance:

Make it clear to your employees what’s in it for them. AI is no longer optional for modern career growth. It’s a foundational technology, and employees across every domain must build AI literacy to stay competitive. 

A study published in the Journal of Service Science and Management found a strong correlation between AI adoption and organizational competitiveness.

Harvard Business School research similarly notes that AI enhances productivity, decision-making, and operational efficiency. Leaders should consistently communicate this message and align AI initiatives with personal and professional growth.

Nothing drives adoption like visible wins, even if they’re small. Share and celebrate real, internal AI success stories. Showcase how AI improved efficiency, saved time, or solved a persistent problem. 

MIT Sloan and BCG found that 80% of managers reported improved morale and collaboration after adopting AI. Hold regular demo sessions, maintain a success catalog, and highlight even small wins—because every success builds belief.

This is critical. Ease of access matters. Shockingly, several employees just don’t know where to find AI tools (or how to use them). This is true for productivity tools like Microsoft Copilot or GitHub Copilot, as well as internal tools to develop AI solutions. 

For example, how do employees access commercial LLMs like Claude in a secure and responsible way from a corporate network? Many organizations have set up internal platforms and tools for this purpose, but they may not be easy to access or use. 

Reduce red tape and make it easy for employees to try these tools with minimal friction. This includes providing centralized information on available AI tools and streamlining licensing. Even the most enthusiastic users will disengage if they’re blocked by cumbersome processes.

Avoid lengthy, overly technical training. Instead, offer short, focused modules tailored to different roles like software engineers, analysts, and project managers. Make registration easy and provide self-paced options for busy professionals. 

Empowering employees through training reduces fear and boosts confidence. It’s also important to celebrate as employees complete their training, especially if it requires a significant amount of time. 

Extra tip for AI training: Prioritize prompt engineering as a core skill to maximize generative AI usage.

Identify and empower early adopters within your teams. These are employees who actively use AI and inspire others to join them. Provide these employees with time and resources to experiment, solve real problems, and teach others. 

These AI champions serve as internal influencers and role models, spreading AI literacy organically. Recognize their contributions publicly. With growing competition for AI talent, developing champions internally is a long-term investment in innovation. 

Resistance to AI in the workplace is real—but it’s not insurmountable. 

Employees resist for different reasons: skepticism, fear, or lack of confidence. Organizations can foster a culture of curiosity, collaboration, and continuous learning when they:

• Position AI as essential to career growth

• Celebrate wins 

• Make tools accessible

• Provide targeted training

• Nurture internal champions

At the end of the day, AI is not about replacing people; it’s about empowering them. Help your teams see that and resistance will turn into readiness.

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