Businesses are pouring billions into AI tools but usage rates are stuck. Boardrooms want to know: where’s the ROI?
The problem isn’t the technology. It’s that organisations are treating AI adoption like a software rollout, when it’s actually a workforce transformation where internal communications leaders have a crucial role to play. Transformation depends on consistent, compelling communication that builds belief, clarity and behaviour change. That’s why internal comms isn’t a supporting function in AI rollouts; it’s the engine.
Your people need to understand what’s changing, what’s staying the same, and what “good” looks like in their role — and they need to feel safe enough to try. That’s internal comms territory. This function doesn’t just distribute information; it shapes meaning, builds confidence and creates the momentum that turns “available” into “adopted”.
The short-term trap
Most AI strategies focus entirely on today: get people using the tools you’ve bought. Launch another session. Send another reminder. These tactics might nudge the dashboard up temporarily, but they miss the point. You’re retrofitting AI into workflows designed for a pre-AI world.
This is where adoption efforts quietly break. Organisations default to output (sessions, reminders, comms volume) instead of outcome (confidence, habit, changed behaviour). When internal comms is brought in late, the request is usually tactical: “announce the tool”, “promote the training”, “share tips”. But AI doesn’t need promotion. It needs belief, relevance and repeatable new behaviours – all of which require a deliberate internal communications strategy from day one.
The latest workforce data shows just how limited this approach is. For example, Gallup’s January 2026 analysis reveals that despite massive investment, daily AI usage in the US has risen only two percentage points in the last year from 10 per cent to 12 per cent, while “frequent” use sits at only 26 per cent. Behaviour change is inching forward, not accelerating.
When the next wave of AI capabilities arrives in the next 12 months – and agentic AI means autonomous agents handling entire workflows, not just helping with tasks – you’ll be starting from scratch. Again.
The organisations that will win aren’t choosing between short-term adoption and long-term readiness. They’re running two internal communications tracks simultaneously.
Drive today’s tool adoption
Yes, you need people using the AI you’ve already invested in. But this isn’t just about training. It’s about creating genuine behaviour change through clear and relevant communication, leaders who model the behaviours you want to see, targeted change plans that meet people where they are and continuous feedback loops.
This is where real transformation happens. While others are still figuring out how to get people to use today’s tools, the best internal communications leaders are building the capabilities employees will need tomorrow:
- Data fundamentals – AI readiness starts with establishing data fundamentals around literacy, access and trustworthiness
- Workflow redesign capability – empowering teams to reimagine their processes from the ground up, not just automate existing ones
- Agentic readiness – preparing employees to orchestrate and manage autonomous AI agents, not just use tools
- AI leadership – equipping leaders to lead through this era of AI change, building confidence in uncertainty and being comfortable with the complex
Most critically, they’re building a ‘culture of continuous learning’, where curiosity, experimentation and adaptation are embedded in daily work, not reserved for training days.
AI transformation is fundamentally a people challenge, not a technology one. And people challenges are their domain.
They already know how to drive behaviour change at scale. They understand how to craft narratives that land with different audiences. They’re skilled at building trust when organisations are asking employees to work differently.
But the traditional internal comms playbook isn’t enough here. This isn’t cascading a message or running a campaign. It’s orchestrating a fundamental shift in how your workforce operates. Those who grasp this – connecting today’s adoption challenges with tomorrow's transformation needs – will be the ones at the leadership table when these decisions are made.
The real ROI question
If an organisation is only focused on getting people to use today's tools, they’ll get today’s returns – modest productivity gains, some time savings and incremental improvements. These matter, but they’re not transformational.
Real ROI comes when the workforce isn’t just using AI but thinking differently because of it, for example, spotting redesign opportunities, questioning outdated workflows and leveraging the next wave of capability the moment it arrives.
That’s the difference between organisations that see AI as a cost centre with disappointing returns, and those that see it as a competitive advantage that compounds over time.
If you want that kind of ROI, you don’t start with the tool, you start with the story, the signals, and the social proof that makes new behaviour feel possible. That is the work of internal comms. Treat them as a distribution channel and you’ll get surface-level adoption. Treat them as a strategic partner from day one and you’ll build the belief, confidence and habit that makes AI value compound over time.
Ben Read is managing partner, employee experience at MSL.