A stubborn gap exists between how much AI demands from workers and how much training organizations are providing, SmarterX found.
Our 2026 State of AI for Business report, released in May, surveyed more than 2,100 professionals across industries, company sizes, and roles and asked respondents how their organizations are (and aren't) preparing them for an AI-driven workplace.
Forty-six percent said their organization offers AI-focused education and training. But 32% said theirs did not. Another 18% said it was in development and 3% weren’t sure.
At first glance, 46% sounds like progress. And it is. But add up the other three responses — no, in development, and not sure — and you get 53% or more than half of respondents who say they don't have access to formal AI training at their organization.
Progress Isn’t Happening Fast Enough
The good news is that the 46% was up from 32% in 2025. That's a 14-percentage-point jump in a single year and reflects real, measurable movement in the right direction.
Organizations are clearly taking AI training more seriously. The question is whether the pace of progress matches the urgency of the moment.
Here's the thing about "in development": it doesn't help anyone right now. If your team is expected to use AI tools this quarter, a training program that hasn't launched yet isn't helpful.
The Gap Isn't Equal Across Companies
Training availability doesn't fall evenly across the workforce. According to the data:
- 66% of organizations with $1B+ in revenue offer AI training
- 40% of the smallest organizations offer it
That's a 26-point gap between the largest and smallest companies. Larger organizations have dedicated learning and development teams, bigger budgets, and more leverage to build or purchase training programs. Smaller organizations — where employees are often wearing more hats and arguably more reliant on AI to stay competitive — are the ones most likely to be left out.
The Bottom Line
AI isn't slowing down to wait for organizations to figure out their training strategy. The tools are here, expectations are rising, and more than half the workforce is being asked to show up without the education and training they need.
At this pace, the workforce needs their organization’s support to keep up.
To read the full report, visit https://smarterx.ai/reports/2026-state-of-ai-for-business
