The AI hesitation gap: Pressures, barriers, and incentives shaping AI learning | edX survey

By: Jessica Bryant, Edited by: Joey Morris

Published: January 15, 2026

Companies across the globe continue to increase their investment in artificial intelligence (AI), even amid rising concerns about a potential burst of the "AI bubble." But how do people, as opposed to corporations, feel about the burgeoning technology, and how eager are they to adopt it in their personal and professional lives?

AI is becoming more visible the modern workforce, as an increasing number of people use it in their day-to-day tasks. Even as interest in AI tools rises, however, few people are pursuing education or training in AI, revealing a gap between AI’s perceived importance and the steps individuals are willing to take to use it.

To better understand this hesitation, edX surveyed a nationally representative sample of more than 1,000 U.S. adults to explore why many have not yet invested in learning AI and what would motivate them to take the next step.

The AI automation perception gap

One area where hesitation to learn new skills in AI is most evident is in how people perceive AI’s potential impact on their jobs.

Our survey reveals that 54% of U.S. adults believe employers overestimate how much of their current or most recent job could be performed by AI. Only 22% of respondents believe employers underestimate how much of their job could be automated, while 24% believe their estimates and their employers' are about the same.

When asked to estimate the percentage of their own job that could be performed by AI, employed respondents reported a median of 20% could be automated. However, they believe employers estimate that figure to be 30%, pointing to a 10-point perception gap.

Perhaps in part because of this gap in perceptions, the question of AI's value — especially in the workplace — remains. It's no surprise, then, that many people are at least somewhat interested in learning more about the technology. Our survey found that nearly 8 in 10 adults (79%) say they are at least slightly interested in investing in AI education. About 1 in 4 (23%) are very or extremely interested in making this investment.

Even with this gap in perceptions, interest in AI learning remains widespread. Nearly 8 in 10 adults (79%) say they are at least slightly interested in investing in AI education, including 23% who are very or extremely interested.

Experience with AI also appears to shape sentiment. Among workers who use AI tools at least once a day in their jobs, 80% report having an overall positive impression of recent advancements — suggesting that familiarity may temper concerns about AI’s role in the workplace.

Job security continues to shape how people think about AI

Overall, 56% of currently employed respondents report being concerned that advancements in AI may lead to them losing their jobs. Fourteen percent say they are very or extremely concerned. Just a few months prior, in edX's spring 2025 survey about AI anxiety and upskilling, 47% reported that AI advancements posed a threat to their job, indicating that employment concerns are rising among U.S. workers.

Concern about job security appears to be closely related to interest in AI education. Among adults who are very or extremely worried about losing their jobs due to advancements in AI, 37% say they are very or extremely interested in investing in AI education or professional development compared to only 23% among all respondents.

These concerns cut across industries. In every field analyzed, more than 40% of workers express at least slight concern about AI’s impact on job security. However, those in business and finance roles are the most likely to report being very or extremely concerned (17%), outpacing even workers in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) roles by four percentage points.

The pressure to learn AI skills comes from within

Pressure to learn AI skills is present for many adults, but it is not always felt as an urgent or externally imposed mandate. For most, it may reflect a broader sense of needing to keep up, driven by the awareness of AI’s growing role in work and uncertainty about future expectations.

Nearly half of U.S. adults (46%) say they feel some level of pressure to learn or use AI tools in their job, ranging from slight to extreme. Only 8% report feeling very or extremely pressured to do so. Among workers who are concerned about losing their jobs due to AI advancements, however, pressure intensifies: 25% say they feel very or extremely pressured to build AI skills.

These sentiments are prevalent among workers across all fields, with more than half of those in STEM and technical fields (63%) and business and finance (55%), and just under half of those in education and humanities (49%), saying they feel at least slightly pressured to learn or use AI tools in their job.

When asked where that pressure comes from, respondents point inward more often than outward. Nearly one-third of adults (32%) say the pressure to learn AI skills comes from themselves, compared with 23% who cite industry expectations. Fewer attribute the pressure to media or public discourse (14%) or even to their employer (14%), underscoring that AI learning pressure is more commonly internalized than directly imposed.

Career incentives are a key motivator for investing in AI education

Although many people feel at least some degree of pressure to keep up with AI, that pressure alone isn't enough to drive action.

More than half of people (51%) say that career incentives, like promotions or job security, could encourage them to invest in AI education. This is the second most-cited factor by respondents, coming second only to the opportunity to pursue AI education free of charge (66%).

Career incentives resonate especially strongly with Gen Z. Nearly two-thirds (62%) say career-related benefits are the top factor that would lead them to invest in AI education. Among older generations, however, cost plays a larger role: 62% of Millennials, 72% of Gen X, and 72% of Baby Boomers say free opportunities would be the most compelling reason to pursue AI education for professional development.

At the same time, incentives do not eliminate hesitation entirely. Some respondents express concern that investing in AI skills could accelerate their own displacement rather than protect them.

"I do not want to make myself obsolete," says one Gen X respondent from Nebraska. "At this time, I am not sure how it would help me at my job."

Cost and time are the biggest barriers to AI education

Among adults who are not investing in AI education, the top reasons they cite are cost (57%), time commitment (40%), and concerns about AI's negative impacts (32%), including issues related to reliability, ethics, and environmental impact.

Beyond cost and time, many respondents point to uncertainty rather than opposition. More than one-quarter of adults (26%) say they don’t know where to start learning AI skills or report that they are already learning informally through self-directed means.

As one respondent from New York explains, "because of the vast amount of programs available... [they don't know] which would be most valuable."

When respondents were asked to select just one factor holding them back, cost emerged as the clear top barrier, cited by 29% of respondents. This finding aligns with broader results showing that free learning opportunities are the most commonly cited incentive for pursuing AI education.

These barriers appear across demographic groups, with notable differences among genders.

When asked to identify the single most influential factor preventing them from investing in AI education, women were nearly twice as likely as men to cite concerns about AI’s negative impacts (19%). By comparison, 18% of men identified time commitment as their primary barrier, compared with 10% of women.

Adults want to learn AI skills independently

Another reason many respondents may be hesitant to invest in AI education right now is that most hope to pick up the skills on their own — just over half (51%) rank independent learning as the form of education they're most interested in.

One Gen X respondent from Arizona says, "Before anything else, I always try to learn by just tinkering around on my own."

Over one-third of respondents (37%) also say they would be interested in learning AI via short courses. Respondents express less interest in longer courses and degree programs.

Better accuracy, regulation could encourage more adults to use AI

Concerns about the reliability and oversight of AI continue to shape how people think about investing in AI education. About 2 in 5 adults say that worries about the accuracy of AI outputs (41%) and the lack of AI regulation (39%) are very or extremely impactful on their willingness to pursue AI-related professional development.

One respondent from New Jersey who is not currently investing in AI further describes the technology as "oversold" and "inaccurate," while another respondent says it's "not ready" and "not regulated."

Roughly 1 in 3 respondents additionally express that concerns about plagiarism or academic integrity (35%), bias in AI outputs (33%), and concerns about AI's environmental impact (32%) are very or extremely impactful on their willingness to pursue AI education.

Taken together, these responses suggest that hesitation is driven less by lack of interest and more by questions of trust and readiness. While skepticism of AI remains, it has not eliminated the value many see in its use. Most U.S. adults continue to express interest in learning AI, particularly if concerns around accuracy, regulation, and credibility can be addressed.