![\"White](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ai\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/1787426354_765_0x0.jpg\")
<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
AI at the frontline: still a work in progress<\/p>\n
getty<\/p>\n
While much of the emphasis of artificial intelligence and agentic AI has been on information workers, it\u2019s important to remember that information workers, mangers, or professionals, whatever you want to call them, are only about 44% of the total workforce, according to estimates<\/a> from the US Bureau of Labor Statistics. The rest are frontline workers \u2013 ranging from sales to production and distribution. <\/p>\n In terms of reaching frontline workers with the promises of AI, things are rather chaotic. That\u2019s the conclusion of new survey<\/a> of 5,693 frontline workers and managers out of Dayforce, which finds that frontline productivity suffers due to disconnected information and workflows. <\/p>\n \u201cMost organizations are investing heavily in AI for corporate workers while leaving frontline hardworking employees, the people actually running production lines, warehouses, and customer service department largely unprepared,\u201d said Caleb Prosper<\/a>, CEO and founder of Gemena Tech. “The tools reach them last, training is minimal, and management change is an afterthought. <\/p>\n “AI adoption is still in the early stages for frontline workers,” agreed Naeem Bari<\/a>, co-founder and chief product officer at Linxup, a GPS fleet tracking and safety technology company. \u201cRight now, the companies using AI are doing it at the office and management level. Field service operations are using AI in the back office to maximize job productivity, minimize windshield time for their techs, identify risks in the fleet, and automatically flag employee coaching opportunities to keep their employees and assets safe. Even AI dash cameras, which are already common in many vehicles, are used to report data back to management, not the driver, for analysis and coaching.\u201d<\/p>\n Calling it \u201cthe frontline reality organizations weren\u2019t built for,\u201d the Dayforce report\u2019s authors state that the transformations essential to remain competitive \u2013 AI or digital capabilities \u2013 tend to get stuck. Tellingly, only 29% of executives and Industry leaders agree that AI capabilities have yet to fully translate to the frontline. \u201cThe challenge isn\u2019t whether frontline workers are being intentionally left behind with AI; it\u2019s whether companies are moving as quickly on workforce enablement as they are on technology adoption,\u201d said Rebecca Wilson<\/a>, senior vice president of human resources at Kenco, a third-party logistics provider. \u201cFrontline employees need practical training and AI tools that solve real operational challenges.\u201d<\/p>\n AI may raise expectations for faster, better workforce decisions, “but it doesn\u2019t remove the underlying problem,\u201d according to the Dayforce report. \u201cFrontline work depends on decisions that happen together in real time, while the systems behind them often remain separate. Many organizations still manage time, pay, staffing, skills, and employee development in separate systems. But for frontline managers, In addition, more than three-quarters of frontline managers, 77%, said their systems “do not provide clear guidance at times when operational issues arise. Organizations are trying to drive change through systems and processes that weren\u2019t built to work together.”<\/p>\n
managers in the frontline organizations surveyed said their organization has \u201cmeaningfully evaluated\u201d AI for frontline work. \u201cThat leaves many organizations still early in understanding where AI can help frontline teams and where it could introduce new risks.\u201d Just 6% said transformation is well integrated into how daily work gets done.<\/p>\n
those decisions collide in the moment. A schedule change can affect labor costs, compliance, coverage, employee experience, productivity, and service quality all at once.”<\/p>\n