A significant percentage of Canadian employees reported that artificial intelligence training at their workplaces was lacking, per the 2025 “KPMG Generative AI Adoption Index.”
Just 48 percent of employees found their organizations’ training in this area helpful. Thirty-six percent said they were trained to use AI tools but were too busy to update their work processes; 37 percent said they began using AI after training but stopped because they were overwhelmed.
Eighty-three percent of respondents said they wanted or needed to learn how to effectively use generative AI, with 46 percent indicating that they feared losing their jobs to someone who could use AI better.
“It’s encouraging to see how eager employees are to use AI but it’s apparent they are scared of losing their jobs, overwhelmed by the pace of change and feel underprepared for what's ahead. If this continues, organizations risk losing the productivity gains AI is meant to provide,” said Megan Jones, partner in KPMG in Canada’s people and change practice, in a statement.
Employees had cited hallucinations and inaccuracies as barriers to their usage of AI tools. Jones highlighted the need for regular AI literacy programs to clarify and teach best practices.
KPMG in Canada’s chief technology officer and tax partner Davin Gnanapragasam added that companies must prioritize providing personalized training centered on identifying specific-use cases. Organizations must also establish realistic AI use expectations.
“Training should empower employees to understand how to strategically apply AI to their day, so it frees up time for more value-added work, rather than a one-size-fits-all solution,” Gnanapragasam said. “For example, AI can summarize meeting notes brilliantly, but if you rarely need summaries, that feature won’t save you time. True AI literacy is about making AI personally useful and engrained in everyday tasks so that it’s second nature.”
Sixty-two percent of employees using AI at work do research with it, while 58 percent use it to generate ideas. Thirty-seven percent have AI summarizing public information.
Nonetheless, 40 percent are unaware of the AI controls in place at their companies; just 29 percent reported that their employers had implemented a comprehensive AI use policy.
Findings from KPMG Canada’s recent “Generative AI Business Adoption Survey” indicated that only 2 percent of Canadian businesses saw a return on their investments in generative AI.
“Comprehensive policies should be paired with training that bridges deep industry expertise and a strong understanding of AI. When employees learn how AI applies to their specific sector, they gain the confidence and skills to use it where it matters most. Building true AI literacy will help organizations unlock the ROI they’ve been missing,” Gnanapragasam said.
For the KPMG Generative AI Adoption Index, KPMG in Canada surveyed 2,239 employees over August 15-29.