[Survey Report] 99% of New Employees Use Generative AI: Emerging Challenges in Talent Development

About This Report

This report summarizes the results of a "Survey on Generative AI Usage" conducted among 712 participants in new employee training programs for the fiscal year 2026.

Beyond simply presenting AI usage rates, this report examines key issues in future talent development from the perspectives of "how AI is being connected to work and learning" and "how to cultivate the ability to think alongside AI."

As newly assigned employees begin their roles on-site, we hope this report serves as a valuable resource for organizations, supervisors, and on-the-job training (OJT) instructors to reflect on what will be expected of them.

New employees have become a generation that "uses AI." The question is no longer "can they use it?"

For new employees, generative AI is no longer something "to be introduced in the future"—it has already become an assumed part of daily life.

Generative AI Usage

With 99% of new employees reporting experience using AI, the question of "whether someone has used AI" no longer reflects meaningful differences between individuals or organizations. The real question now lies beyond that.

"Being able to use" AI and "effectively leveraging" AI are different capabilities. The maturity of AI utilization cannot be measured by frequency of use alone.

Perceptions of AI: Most See It as a "Convenient Tool," a Few as a "Partner"

As generative AI use spreads, how do new employees perceive AI? This survey also examined employees' attitudes toward generative AI.

The results show that 79.1% view AI as a "tool they want to use conveniently," while 12.2% see it as a "reliable partner or assistant they want to work with." Meanwhile, 7.7% said they feel some anxiety or resistance but still intend to use it, and only 0.4% expressed a desire to avoid using or engaging with AI altogether. For new employees, generative AI is no longer something special—it is increasingly accepted as a standard part of work and learning.

What matters most is not whether AI is called a "convenient tool" or a "partner," but rather how human thinking functions when using AI.

For example:

- Having AI generate text and using it without review

- First clarifying your purpose, message, and own thinking, then using AI to draft an initial version, refining it through iterative feedback, and finally reviewing and editing it yourself

Though both scenarios involve "using AI to write," the quality of human thinking involved is vastly different.

The Key Question for Future AI Use: "Outsourcing" vs. "Co-Creation"

Whether AI is treated as a mere tool at hand or as a close collaborator reflects a difference in "distance" from AI. However, what truly differentiates the quality of AI use is not this distance itself.

For instance, even when treating AI as a convenient tool, if users maintain a clear purpose and use AI for organizing, comparing, and verifying information, human thinking remains actively engaged. Conversely, even when treating AI as a close advisor, if users completely delegate judgment and interpretation, it becomes difficult to refine outputs to align with work objectives.

Four Models of AI Utilization

The value of generative AI extends beyond simply speeding up tasks. Depending on how it is used, AI can help individuals organize their thoughts, gain new perspectives, and make better decisions and expressions.

Therefore, it is essential to move beyond merely "handing tasks over to AI" and instead use AI in ways that draw out human strengths and potential, aligned with specific job purposes.

Four Capabilities to Cultivate in Future AI-Driven Talent Development

Assuming that AI is already accessible to nearly everyone, the focus of talent development shifts beyond simply "teaching how to use AI." What becomes critical is cultivating the ability for humans to maintain purpose, formulate questions, critically assess outputs, and refine results—even while using AI.

1. The Ability to Define Purpose

AI excels at answering given questions. However, determining "what problem needs to be solved" and "why AI is being used" remains a human responsibility. To effectively use AI in work, individuals must first clearly define their purpose and identify which business challenges are appropriate for AI support.

2. The Ability to Formulate Questions

AI outputs are highly dependent on the quality of the input question. Vague instructions lead to vague answers. By clearly articulating context, purpose, assumptions, and constraints, users can prompt AI to generate more practical and useful responses. In the AI era, the ability to formulate good questions becomes as important as finding answers.

3. The Ability to Interpret and Evaluate Outputs

AI outputs are not always correct. Even seemingly plausible responses may contain factual errors, logical leaps, or suggestions unsuitable for real-world contexts. Users must verify outputs as needed and judge their relevance based on their company's or customers' specific situations.

4. The Ability to Shape Outputs into Meaningful Work Results

In some cases, gathering information or drafting text using AI may directly lead to results. However, to achieve more reliable outcomes, it is essential for humans to organize content according to purpose, tailor it for effective communication, and refine it into actionable outputs. Using generative AI effectively means not treating AI output as the endpoint, but rather using AI to enhance the quality of work.

The Gap Lies Not with New Employees, but with Those Who Receive Them

Another key finding from this survey is the "reversal" of the generational gap. 99.3% of new employees have experience using generative AI, and 86.7% use it at least once a week.

However, it is not guaranteed that supervisors and OJT instructors on the receiving end use AI at the same level. The traditional premise of "seniors teach, juniors learn" is becoming increasingly difficult to sustain in the domain of AI use. In the first 90 days after assignment, what will be tested is not only the adaptability of new employees, but also the readiness of the receiving organization.

Moreover, new employees' "AI-native" proficiency is not uniform. In this survey, the rate of those using AI "almost daily" varied significantly across training groups, ranging from 0% to 54.5%. Initial skill levels differ greatly depending on the applicant pool and industry. Broad assumptions such as "this year's new hires can use AI" or "this year's new hires cannot use AI" risk leading to ineffective post-assignment guidance.

On-site, confusion is already emerging—such as "new hires submitting AI-generated text without revision" or "uncertainty about how much AI use should be permitted." Treating these issues solely as matters of prohibition or rules risks obscuring actual usage patterns. What is crucial is for teams to openly discuss and agree on which tasks and how AI should be used. Positioning new employees' AI use as a resource for organizational transformation and integrating it into follow-up training and OJT instructor support from summer onward will become a key design challenge for receiving teams.

Developing the Ability to "Use AI" into the Ability to "Think Together with AI"

The expected use cases for AI and the capabilities to be developed differ among new employees, young professionals, mid-career staff, managers, and sales departments. Therefore, rather than providing uniform AI usage instructions, it is essential to design AI integration into work and learning tailored to each role. What is now needed is a "redesign" of OJT training and management practices with AI utilization as a given.

Survey Overview

Download the full report here

<Company Information and Contact> · Company Name: JECC Corporation · Founded: June 1964 · Head Office: 20F, Sunshine 60 Building, 3-1-1 Higashi-Ikebukuro, Toshima-ku, Tokyo · Track Record: Supported over 22,000 companies (including approximately 450 listed companies) · Website: https://www.jecc-net.co.jp · Contact Email: marketing_hp@jecc-net.co.jp · Or via: https://www.jecc-net.co.jp/form-toiawase

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