How to build an inclusive, multi-generational AI culture
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How to build an inclusive, multi-generational AI culture
Neal Riley
Published on 11 August 2026
Last updated on 10 August 2026
10 min read
Neal Riley
Published on 11 August 2026
Last updated on 10 August 2026
10 min read
How to build an inclusive, multi-generational AI culture
How to build an inclusive, multi-generational AI culture
AI and the new leadership inclusivity mandate
Reflecting on a pre-AI world
Why are workers experiencing pre-AI nostalgia?
Five steps to help build an inclusive AI culture
The questions every leader should be asking about AI rollouts
Lead AI with confidence
Discover the true cost of AI transformation—download our research report for the insights your organisation needs to leverage AI with confidence.
Generational divides are shaping AI engagement at work. Discover how to build an inclusive AI culture where knowledge workers feel confident, valued, and in control of their work.
AI and the new leadership inclusivity mandate
Workers are well and truly feeling the integration of AI into the workplace, but the data tell us that AI usage affects different individuals in different ways, with distinct adoption and engagement patterns emerging across workforces.
From Gen Z's digital natives to millennial tech pioneers and the original digital adopters of Gen X, research highlights clear generational divides emerging in opinions on AI adoption, usage, and expectations.
- McKinsey's The State of Organizations 2026 report found that Gen Z are more likely than millennials to believe that AI will augment their human capabilities and complement their skill sets. Many have a 'if you can't beat it, use it' mentality.
- Deloitte's 2026 Gen Z and Millennial Survey found that 74% of these generations use AI in their day-to-day work. They tend to see AI as an accelerant, not a threat.
- PwC's 2025 Global Workforce Hopes & Fears Survey found that roughly half of Gen Z workers believe they have control over how tech impacts their role, compared to just 21% of Gen X. They also feel more excited about how AI will impact their careers than their older counterparts.
Effectively managing these differences and balancing the perspectives and needs of early-career digital natives and more experienced digital adopters is a key factor in maximising return on AI technology investments.
To build an aligned organisation, leaders need to understand how age and experience may influence day-to-day AI tool adoption, comfort levels using AI in their roles, and long-term career expectations.
At Adaptavist, we've conducted our own research revealing clear differences in workers' experiences with AI. The Adaptavist Group’s 2025 research report, Digital Etiquette: Unlocking the AI gates, revealed:
- 44% of 18-24-year-olds agree that AI risks replacing jobs, compared with just 16% of workers aged 65+
- Only 49% of 18-24-year-olds feel they can openly use AI at work without fear of negative repercussions, compared with 81% of those 65+
In Adaptavist’s recent report Understanding the human cost of AI transformation we see a nuanced, often paradoxical view of how people feel about AI at work–from widespread adoption and increased efficiency, to fatigue and a growing sense of disconnection from the meaning of work, where AI may not have been properly integrated. And there's a marked difference between how people responded based on which generation they fall into.
Reflecting on a pre-AI world
It's been three years since generative AI tools arrived in the workplace. Soon, it will be hard to imagine the world of work without them. But it's that pre-AI world that, according to our findings, a notable proportion (65%) of workers remember fondly. They told us they regularly feel nostalgic about how work operated before the widespread adoption of AI.
Perhaps surprisingly, it's Gen Z that feels this most, with 42% preferring the pre-AI world compared to just 26% of Gen X. This challenges the often-held assumption that all digital-native employees are more comfortable with, and positive about, AI-driven ways of working.
Entry-level and early-career roles, which traditionally require more supervision and training, serve a valuable purpose in any organisation. Developing important skills such as quality control, time and project management, and teamwork, these workers are the future of organisations in an AI world.
Organisations have a responsibility to adapt their training approaches to prepare for the impact AI may have on these entry-level roles. AI-enabled workers have the opportunity to shape their whole careers with AI, so it’s important that employers support entry-level workers by getting this right.
Starting my career as AI tools were becoming part of everyday work meant there wasn't really an adjustment for me. I've never known work without AI, so using it has felt like a natural part of how I've worked from day one.
If anything, it's given me an advantage, as I don't have any old habits to unlearn. I've picked up new tools and ways of working quickly. But there's a part of me that worries about what this means in the long term, especially for early-career roles like mine. Looking ahead, I imagine AI will keep shaping how I work rather than replacing what I do, but I'd be lying if I said that uncertainty wasn't there.
Amy Summerfield
Associate Consultant Intern, Adaptavist
However this new AI inclusivity support shouldn't be reserved exclusively for graduates or those with less experience, but also for those returning to work after maternity leave or an extended career break, those wishing to change roles without the same level of experience as mid-career workers in those same roles, and the really experienced workers who fear replacement.
The key to knowing where to support workers is to help them understand and experience the evolution of their roles and the value they can continue to bring to organisations alongside AI.
Why are workers experiencing pre-AI nostalgia?
Workers aren't rejecting AI. In fact, quite the opposite is happening. People are adapting to the change, with 74% of workers actively learning new skills and 67% stating they would like their organisation to increase its use of AI.
So why did our findings uncover this paradox? At the heart of pre-AI nostalgia is a perceived creative deficit. While people are using AI, they also feel like something human and meaningful could be slipping away.
But with such a high percentage of Gen Z saying they prefer life before AI a generation that's always used the internet and digital tools at work–it's not a lack of technical skills driving this sentiment. As Kevin Nanney, CPO, Tempo Software puts it in our report:
"The problem isn't capability or familiarity. Its meaning. If the people who are most comfortable with technology still feel something is lost, leaders need to ask what that something is–and whether their AI rollouts are quietly stripping it out. The tools aren't the issue. How we're deploying them is."
More experienced mid-career workers with greater muscle memory may be more resilient to changes in their roles brought about by evolving AI technology. With their accumulated experience, they have already learned to be adaptable and can draw on years of work to hone their skills, incorporating AI to enhance their outputs and learning. The ones who feel something is missing are the workers who have had AI thrust upon them without support.
When workers are supported correctly, AI nostalgia can be minimised by making the present and future benefits of AI-enhanced technology clear. While there may be fear of job replacement, those fears are unfounded because economic data does not support the idea that people with established careers are being directly replaced by AI or coding tools. We are experiencing an AI workplace revolution, not a takeover.
With every initiative, ask yourself: Does incorporating AI help employees do more meaningful work, or does it take meaningful work away?
Ben Boswell
Global Head of Sales, Adaptavist
Five steps to help build an inclusive AI culture
The future of AI will be defined by how organisations build inclusive cultures and invest in training, technical support, and resources that ensure everyone remains confident, happy, capable, and in control of their work—regardless of their experience level.
The organisations that succeed in the age of AI will prioritise investment in training and help teams actively understand how AI enhances, rather than eliminates, their roles. Perhaps more importantly, they’ll also ensure that AI investment is directed where it's most needed in order to actually support teams in their daily work.
Here are some steps to help you design an AI culture that your people want to participate in:
1. Put people at the heart of your decision-making
Don't define success by the number of AI tools you've deployed, or even usage rates. Think about what a great experience looks like for your people. That might be less admin, faster access to information, or more time for creative thinking. AI should remove friction, not meaningful work. Keeping people happy and engaged is key.
2. Get employees involved in AI initiatives
People are more likely to embrace change when they help shape it. Rather than imposing AI on your people, involve them in determining where AI can add value in their roles, as well as those areas where human input is essential. This co-design approach builds trust and surfaces potential issues before they become AI-resistant.
3. Protect space for human creativity and contribution
Efficiency isn't the only thing that matters. It's important to preserve opportunities for human judgment, creative thinking, problem-solving, relationship building, and personal growth—that way, people can see how their role becomes more valuable with AI, not less.
4. Build confidence, not just capability
Teaching people how to use AI tools is important, but training needs to go further. Your employees need to learn when and how to challenge AI, and how to work with it effectively. From critical thinking to responsible use, there's more to teach them than how to write good prompts.
5. Create feedback loops and listen continuously
The transition to working with AI is not binary but rather a spectrum, as businesses reevaluate how to train people at all experience levels. AI tools are evolving all the time, and so should your AI culture. That means checking in on how people are experiencing AI in practice to support employees wanting to future-proof their skills and careers.
Final thoughts
Adoption rates will not define whether organisations are successful with AI. What really matters is whether they can create environments and culture where people remain confident, capable, and in control of their work. AI should not replace meaningful work—it should remove the friction that prevents people from doing meaningful work.
While many solution providers focus on AI technology itself, Adaptavist consults on the systems, workflows, knowledge, governance, and ways of working that determine whether AI delivers meaningful business outcomes. This is how help organisations move from AI experimentation and deployment to sustainable AI engagement and performance.
The questions every leader should be asking about AI rollouts
Why do some employees feel nostalgic about pre-AI work, and what should leaders do about it?
Our research tells us that 65% of workers feel nostalgic about how work operated before AI—including 42% of Gen Z knowledge workers. This isn't a skills problem; it's a meaning problem where people feel that something human is being lost from their work. Leaders should ask whether their AI rollouts are removing meaningful work, and ensure AI is deployed to enhance roles, not strip them of purpose.
How should leaders approach AI training across different experience levels?
Training should go beyond teaching employees how to use AI tools. Leaders need to build confidence, critical thinking, and responsible use across all experience levels—from early-career workers and career returners to experienced employees that fear replacement.
How should leaders measure the health of their AI culture?
AI culture, health, and success shouldn't be measured solely by the number of AI tools deployed, or even usage rates. Leaders should focus on how employees actually experience their work when using AI, and whether it actually removes friction, rather than replacing the work that matters most or adding verification burden.
Lead AI with confidence
Discover the true cost of AI transformation—download our research report for the insights your organisation needs to leverage AI with confidence.
Written by
AI Innovation Lead, The Adaptavist Group
Neal previously served as CIO at Adaptavist and is an expert in technology and AI. He remains active within The Adaptavist Group, serving as Co-Founder and General Manager of Salable, an all-in-one platform for SaaS monetisation.