Frontline workers who use AI on the job are less likely to report being burned out.
This is according to a 10-country global study of 8 200 frontline employees by UKG, a global AI platform for HR, pay, and workforce management.
Frontline workers — those who must be present to do their jobs to build products or serve customers, patients, students or residents — make up nearly 80% of the global workforce.
Burnout rates for these critical workers have remained steady since a 2024 UKG study, with 76% reporting burnout today.
But there’s hope: More than one in three frontline workers say they use AI in their roles today, and those who are using AI report far lower burnout rates (41%) than those not using the technology (54%).
The fear factor
Despite AI’s reported impact on burnout, many frontline employees have concerns about the technology. According to the research, organisations must be clear about how AI can help — not replace — frontline workers:
- Two in three worry AI might replace their job;
- One in four say part of their job has already been replaced by AI;
- One in five believe their job will be completely replaced within five years; and
- The vast majority (85%) say replacing the frontline workforce with AI would be a “huge mistake.”
Interestingly, they say that the greatest AI threat is actually people: 65% fear colleagues skilled in AI could take their job. These perceived threats could be attributed to lack of training, preparation, and communication from employers, with:
- Nearly one-half of frontline workers taking steps to “prove their worth” (for example, learning new skills, taking on extra projects, and working long hours, extra shifts, or when they’re sick);
- One-third saying they would quit if forced to use AI in ways that don’t make sense; and
- One in four losing trust in their employer over concerns about being replaced by AI.
“The irony is, if done the right way, AI can empower people to be more human and do what they were meant to do,” says Corey Spencer, vice-president of AI at UKG. “Our global study shows that work needs to be done to better educate, train, and explain the ‘why’ behind AI uses on the frontline. It’s about AI and frontline employees working together to move from menial to meaningful work.
“When AI is deployed with a people-first focus, it doesn’t feel like you’re using technology — it feels like you’re solving problems.”
Where is AI used the most?
The UKG study, which was done in partnership with Workplace Intelligence, shows frontline workers in India use AI at work far more than in other countries (84%), followed by Mexico (52%) and Australia (39%). Only 28% of frontline workers in the US and 27% in Canada say they use AI.
Comparing industry use, 38% of professional services workers use AI, followed by retail, hospitality, and food service (33%), public sector (33%), distribution and logistics (32%), and healthcare (27%).
Many frontline employees are optimistic (43%) about AI and are comfortable using it for HR processes (78%), workplace tasks (76%), and writing performance evaluations (71%).
The top five employee experience tasks frontline workers would trust AI with are:
- Searching the company handbook and summarising policies (81%)
- Recommending their work schedules aligned with preferences/availability (80%)
- Helping them understand and use benefits (79%)
- Providing training recommendations (79%)
- Updating certifications and skills (78%).
Three in four frontline workers would also trust AI to develop career paths, recommend new roles within their organization, verify paychecks, approve time off, and find coverage for or swap their work shifts.
“AI can be a powerful tool for preventing burnout at work, yet our study reveals the trepidation around AI could cause an already-stretched workforce to log even more hours to impress their bosses,” says Dan Schawbel, managing partner at Workplace Intelligence.
“This isn’t sustainable. It’s up to leaders across the frontline to have more open conversations with their teams. Sharing the organisation’s short- and long-term AI plans, as well as providing more training on AI tools themselves, can help calm the frontline workforce’s fears so they can work alongside AI more efficiently and with greater personal success.”