Thirty-one percent of U.S. employees were engaged at work in the first half of 2026, the same as in 2025 and five points below the 2020 high of 36 percent. Gallup's Jim Harter reports the figure from a survey of 43,262 employees. The interesting part is what moved it.
Organizations that use AI show engagement six points higher than those that do not. Employees who use AI every week are eight points more engaged than occasional users. The bigger effects come from how AI is introduced. A clear plan for bringing AI into the work goes with 15 points more engagement. Employees whose managers actively support their AI use are engaged at 48 percent, compared with 30 percent without that support. Where regular use, a clear plan and manager support come together, engagement reaches 53 percent.
In Gallup's words: "Managers translate organizational priorities into day-to-day expectations."
The data matches what many of us see in practice: the way a tool is introduced shapes much of what it achieves. Gallup's culture study from August comes to the same conclusion: manager support made the difference for teams whose culture improved.
An experiment adds another layer. In a study with 791 professionals at Procter & Gamble, published this year in Organization Science, Fabrizio Dell'Acqua and colleagues found that people working with AI felt more positive emotions at work. AI can change how work feels, along with how much gets done.
Two questions remain open. The Gallup survey is a snapshot, so it could also be that engaged employees are simply more willing to try AI. And the numbers come from the U.S.; a comparison with European teams would be interesting.
Talent Takeaway
Ask three questions for every AI rollout: Does the team know what the tool is for? Has the manager used it and talked about it? Is there a regular moment to share what works? Engagement follows the answers.
Sources
Harter, J. (2026, July 21). Employee engagement remains flat as AI adoption accelerates. Gallup. https://www.gallup.com/workplace/712433/employee-engagement-remains-flat-adoption-accelerates.aspx
Dell'Acqua, F., et al. (2026). The cybernetic teammate: A field experiment on generative AI and teamwork. Organization Science. https://doi.org/10.1287/orsc.2025.20702