Most AI at work runs on free plans
An Epoch AI and Ipsos survey found that 46.4 per cent of those using AI at work do so on free plans and only 28.6 per cent on an employer-provided subscription.
Why it matters
Most workplace AI use in the United States is not procured, governed or paid for by the employer, so enterprise licence counts systematically understate adoption.
The publication is dated 14 August 2026. The survey ran on the Ipsos KnowledgePanel from 10 to 19 July 2026: 1106 employed US adults were covered, 1103 remained after screening, and 469 of those said they had used AI at least partly for work in the previous seven days. Those 469 are the base for every share: overall 46.4 per cent use free plans and 28.6 per cent use plans their employer provides. The split inverts by occupation. In computer, engineering and science occupations it is 21.0 per cent on free plans against 51.8 on employer-provided ones; in construction, production and transport it is 61.1 against 5.8. The remaining categories fall between those edges, all of them nearer the free side.