The AI survey results are in! Thanks to all of you who participated in our recent survey asking how you’re thinking about—and using—AI. Now it’s time to reveal the results.

First, let’s start with the statistics on the respondents. As it turned out, most respondents (88%) held mid-level or senior roles, and 58% held professional or Expert-level Cisco certifications. This provided us with a unique perspective on how seasoned professionals utilize AI.

AI is reshaping the tech workforce

How are our tech professionals using AI? The most notable result for this question is that tech professionals are rapidly and frequently adopting AI. In the survey, 63% reported starting to use AI within the last year, and 74% indicated that they use it several times a week or more. This indicates that AI adoption isn’t just a trend among early-career workers—it’s reshaping the entire tech workforce.

Tech professionals are automating the routine

When we asked how tech professionals are using AI, we found that the top-ranked use cases were help desk support and automating configuration changes. This result suggests these are the most valuable and impactful areas for AI use right now. Lower-ranked use cases include evaluating and enhancing network security, predictive maintenance, and issue resolution. This could reflect either the complexity of AI implementation or a lower immediate ROI.

Tech professionals are using AI to reduce manual effort in some of the more routine tasks, which leaves time for people to tackle the harder and more creative work. And 84% noted that AI has increased productivity! So, if you’re not sure where to start with AI, start looking at the tasks you repeat most often. For example, AI helped me identify some of the trends from the survey results, which meant I got to jump a lot faster into the fun part, which is writing this blog for you!

There’s still a training gap for those using AI

We also asked our survey participants how confident they felt about using AI. While 64% of respondents feel confident in their AI skills, 36% feel neutral or unconfident, which is understandable given the rapid evolution of the field. This suggests that although many are experimenting with AI, there is still much to be learned about how to effectively utilize it.

With so much information available, it can be challenging to know where to begin. In our survey, we found that 77% of our tech professionals are learning about AI primarily through online courses and tutorials. And this is something we can help with! Cisco offers excellent training for getting started with AI, such as Understanding AI and LLMs as a Network Engineer | AI4NE.

What’s next: AI governance

Our survey also indicated that learners and advocates are rapidly investing in adopting AI. So, what’s next once you’ve got the basics down? Start thinking about how AI is applied and governed.

When we asked a question about AI security practices, only 25% responded that their organization has well-documented and followed security practices. Another 22% responded that they existed but were not well-documented or followed, which leaves 54% who responded that their organization has no security practices or they were unsure if they existed.

Think back to the initial Web 2.0 days when the World Wide Web was the Wild, Wild West—some kids were downloading viruses nonstop onto their parents’ computers just because they wanted free MP3s. (I am that kid.) Without clear policies for new technologies, organizations risk data misuse, security breaches, or ethical missteps. As AI becomes increasingly embedded in our workflows, strong governance will be crucial in ensuring it’s used responsibly and sustainably.

If you’ve got the basics down and are looking for a way to expand your skill set and role with AI, start looking at how and where AI is used at your workplace. And if you’re ready to level up your AI skills, check out our AI courses and join the 74% of tech professionals already using AI several times a week!

To continue to level up your AI skills, check out these resources:

Read next:

Educating Tomorrow’s Tech Workforce: A New Map for AI-Era Skills

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