New Udemy research conducted by YouGov suggests links between psychological bias and lack of skills development, skills mastery perceptions, and future-proofing for AI’s impact on workforces

Udemy (Nasdaq: UDMY), a leading AI-powered skills acceleration platform, today released a research report, “Ready or Not: The Emerging Gap Between Awareness and Action in AI Transformation.”

Drawing on new primary research with nearly 5,000 workers across the US, UK, Brazil, and India, conducted by YouGov, the report reveals a striking paradox at the heart of today’s workforce. While employees overwhelmingly recognize the sweeping impact AI has on society, many remain convinced that their own roles will remain untouched. The result: a growing gap between awareness and readiness, or an AI blind spot that could define the next decade of work.

From the lack of investment in adequate, employer-led AI training to significant adaptive (soft) skills perception gaps, AI blind spots may leave individuals and enterprises at risk in a tough job market and competitive macroeconomic environment. By addressing psychological and institutional upskilling barriers now, workers and organizations alike will be primed to take full advantage of AI’s opportunities, and ensure business durability.

“We’re witnessing one of the most dangerous disconnects in modern workforce history,” said Hugo Sarrazin, President and CEO at Udemy. “Workers understand AI is transformative, but psychological biases and institutional barriers are preventing many of them from taking the very actions that could secure their futures. In other words, people know the AI train is in motion, but they aren’t buying a ticket to ride. Organizations that help employees overcome this AI blind spot now will have a massive advantage, so they aren’t left waiting on the tracks when AI’s full impact truly hits.”

Udemy identified key insights for leaders looking to build upskilling seamlessly into workflows and inspire teams to act:

1. AI optimism bias leaves workers vulnerable. In most countries surveyed, data shows potential evidence for optimism bias, or believing any negative impact of AI on jobs or wages is less likely to personally affect individuals. This is most pronounced in the UK, where workers are nearly 2x more likely to worry about economy-wide job impacts (70%) than their own job security (39%). Leaders can address optimism bias by sharing specific examples of AI affecting similar industries and roles to create upskilling urgency.
2. Biases are often tied to a lack of training. Psychological bias – i.e., predictable and sometimes irrational patterns of thinking that can lead to flawed decision-making – may explain why there’s a disconnect between AI skills gaps and upskilling to address them. In the UK, for instance, just 16% of workers or job seekers are confident in their AI skills. However, 55% of UK-based workers have pursued no AI training. With innovations like Model Context Protocol, leaders can embed learning directly into the flow of work to make AI training both accessible and applicable.
3. The AI blind spot also includes a lack of adaptive skill proficiency. Across all countries surveyed, hiring managers identified communication and other adaptive skills as top deficiencies in entry-level workers. But the entry-level workers surveyed are not likely to believe they lack these skill sets. With hiring decision makers in every market surveyed ranking demonstrated skills as a top factor in hiring entry-level talent, practicing these skills can help fix these perception gaps so job seekers can stay competitive.
4. Upskilling works when the opportunity is structured. Even as the half-life of skills continues to shrink, professionals in the US and UK remain more focused on hobbies and financial goals than developing career capabilities. Yet, when given access to AI training, seven-in-ten US-based workers completed their employer-offered program. This shows employer-offered resources can be a powerful upskilling accelerant, shifting behaviors so individuals prioritize both personal and professional growth.

“It’s a tough time to enter this job market. Managers are looking for adaptive skills, but they’re traditionally hard to measure and are often best learned on the job. At the same time, layoffs in many industries are leaving managers with more responsibilities, meaning less time for dedicated training,” said Elizabeth Weingarten, Head of Behavioral Science Insights at Udemy. “By actively upskilling and looking for opportunities to practice those key skills, workers can make themselves indispensable to managers while also preparing to thrive through any work shifts brought on by AI.”

There’s an untapped market for motivating skill investment through accessible, outcome-driven learning. Top organizations’ practices align with the report's insights, using Udemy to combat bias, connect upskilling to employees’ personalized career goals and address AI blind spots. To read the full report and learn how Udemy’s AI-powered platform can help overcome organizations’ awareness-action gaps in the face of AI, visit: https://business.udemy.com.

Methodology

Udemy commissioned YouGov to conduct online surveys, fielded between September 11–25, 2025, across four countries: the United States, United Kingdom, India, and Brazil. The study collected nationally representative samples of adults aged 18–70 in each country, with over 1,000 respondents per market (totaling 4,889 responses). In India, the sample represents adult internet users aged 18–70.

All samples were weighted to reflect demographic distributions using established population benchmark datasets. The methodology included targeted oversampling of management-level professionals to enable detailed sub-group analysis.

Margin of error: ±3 percentage points for the US, UK, and Brazil; ±4 percentage points for India (95% confidence level).

About Udemy

Udemy (Nasdaq: UDMY) is an AI-powered skills acceleration platform transforming how companies and individuals across the world build the capabilities needed to thrive in a rapidly evolving workplace. By combining on-demand, multi-language content with real-time innovation, Udemy delivers personalized experiences that empower organizations to scale workforce development and help individuals build the technical, business, and soft skills most relevant to their careers. Today, thousands of companies, including Ericsson, Samsung SDS America, On24, Tata Consultancy Services, The World Bank, and Volkswagen, rely on Udemy Business for its enterprise solutions to build agile, future-ready teams. Udemy is headquartered in San Francisco, with hubs across the United States, Australia, India, Ireland, Mexico, and Türkiye.

About YouGov

YouGov is a global research data and analytics group. Our mission is to offer unparalleled insight into what the world really thinks and does. With operations in the US, the Americas, Europe, the Middle East, India, and Asia Pacific, we have one of the world’s largest research networks.

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