From The Sourcing Paradox series · Week 3: The human barriers · First shared on LinkedIn, October 20, 2026
You'd expect fear of AI to fade as people use it. Gallup's research suggests otherwise.
Across survey waves from 2023 to early 2026, daily or several-times-a-week AI users reported acute concern about being displaced at more than double the rate of less frequent users in most waves. That's from nearly 30,000 worker observations.
What did make a difference was the manager. Employees who strongly agreed their manager shows them respect, or that their organization cares about their wellbeing, were about 6 to 7 points less likely to report that concern.
In my view, that changes where an AI rollout should start. Not with more licences or more training hours, but with the managers who run the teams using the tools.
Three things I'd ask every procurement manager to do:
- Say plainly what AI will and won't change about each role.
- Recognise the people who flag AI errors, not just the heaviest users.
- Check in on workload, not just adoption numbers.
Which of the three is hardest in your organization?
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This post draws on The Sourcing Paradox, a free Procademai™ report for procurement leaders and professionals (section 5.1, 5.3).
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Sources
- Gallup, Makridis (September 2026), Using AI More Does Not Reassure Workers, Managers Do. Source
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