Half of workers today admit they’re over-reliant on AI, according to a new study from software company GoTo and Workplace Intelligence, a research agency focused on the nature of work. The 2026 Pulse of Work report—a survey of 2,500 respondents of both knowledge workers and IT managers on AI deployment—found that Gen Z workers were especially likely to treat the tech as a crutch, and 62% admitted to it.
Some young workers think that overreliance has crossed a critical turning point: 40% say they can’t get by without the technology. GoTo CEO Rich Veldran told Fortune an overreliance on AI poses a sticky dilemma, especially for younger workers looking to learn the ropes.
“It’s only in the rearview mirror that folks will look back and say, ‘You know what, I’m actually relying on it too much. Perhaps I’m not learning some of the things I need to learn,'” he said.
While AI takes over more work functions, firms are pushing the tech on employees regardless of their comfort using it. Some, like Amazon, even encourage “tokenmaxxing,” or using as many AI tokens (the basic building block of AI prompts) among workers as possible. But according to Veldran, growing in an AI-enabled company requires a delicate balance between adopting the technology and developing one’s own expertise and skill set.
