80% of Employees Want to Use AI More Than Their Jobs Allow

The "Activation Gap" could be leaving trillions in potential global economic gains unrealized, according to new research from Cognizant

TEANECK, N.J., Oct. 9, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- A new Cognizant workplace study has identified what researchers are calling the "Activation Gap": a wide and largely invisible divide between how much employees believe AI can enable them in their work and how much their jobs allow them to use it. In "New Frontiers, New Frictions: Mapping the DNA of AI Adoption," the findings suggest that the biggest barrier to AI's economic promise is translating employee willingness into effective adoption. Customization, integration and context engineering can help to close that gap.