2026 AI & People Leadership Research Report

Managers are using generic AI for people decisions.

Only 45% of organization have a written policy for it.

We asked 208 executives and 399 people managers how AI is showing up in hiring, feedback, and performance conversations. The findings give a clear read on where managers actually need support, and where exectutives are misaligned.

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WHAT THE DATA SHOWS

AI has already entered people processes. Governance hasn't caught up.

Managers face critical moments everyday, from tough conversations and difficult decisions, to sensitive feedback. But increasingly, they're reaching for generic AI to navigate them. The result? Conversations that miss the mark. Decisions that feel disconnected. And the real loss: the human insight that made them effective managers in the first place.

76%

of managers have used public AI to prepare for people conversations, without behavioral guidance about the person involved.

43%

of managers have entered employee names, performance details, or personal information into public AI tools.

45%

of organizations have written a AI policy that covers people matters.

When it comes to difficult conversations, Executives are misaligned with reality.

Nearly three quarters of executives say they are very confident their managers handle difficult conversations well on their own. Just over half of managers say they walk in fully prepared with a plan.

That gap is the one HR will be asked about the next time manager effectiveness comes up at the leadership table.

The gap isn't knowledge. It's delivery.

For the largest share of managers, the difficulty lies less in identifying the message than expressing it effectively to a specific person.

More training content rarely moves this number, because the difficulty arrives in the moment. Preparation has to meet managers there, with real context about the person on the other side of the table.

Get the AI and People Leadership Report

Download the 2026 AI & People Leadership Report.

The full findings, the methodology behind them, and the benchmarks you need to set direction on AI in people processes.

WRITTEN FOR

✔️VPs of HR, CHROs, and heads of people who own the AI-in-HR question

✔️HR directors and managers building the manager enablement plan

✔️People leaders at organizations of 100 to 500 employees

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Give your managers the context generic AI can't have.

Once you have seen the findings, see how The Predictive Index puts behavioral intelligence into the moments that matter, so guidance reaches managers in their workflow, adoption doesn't depend on you running a training program, and you can show your leadership team what changed.

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