There is a growing disconnect between how confident senior leaders feel about AI and how much the rest of the organisation trusts their judgement. New research with over 2,000 UK tech workers reveals why this matters.
The gap between confidence and trust
When we asked C-suite executives how confident they felt in their own AI expertise, 70% described themselves as “very confident”.
When we asked the rest of the organisation how much they trusted C-suite AI expertise, the picture looked very different.
Confidence in C-suite AI capability, by seniority:
- C-suite self-assessment: 70% very confident
- Directors: 48% very confident in C-suite
- Senior management: 50%
- Middle management: 36%
- Entry-level staff: 33%
- Intermediate staff: 27%
The further you get from the boardroom, the less trust there is in leadership’s ability to make informed AI decisions.
Why this gap matters
A confidence gap might seem like a perception problem. It is not. It is a business risk.
When employees do not believe leadership understands AI, three things happen:
- People stop flagging problems. If staff assume leadership will not understand the issue or will dismiss their concerns, they stay quiet. Small problems become big ones.
- AI initiatives lose momentum. Adoption stalls when the workforce does not trust the strategy behind it. People comply rather than commit.
- Trust erodes beyond AI. Confidence gaps are rarely contained. If staff question leadership judgement in one area, it spreads to others.
The behaviour behind the numbers
The trust gap is not irrational. It reflects what employees are seeing.
Our research found that C-suite executives are the most likely to engage in high-risk AI behaviours:
- 93% of C-suite have made AI-informed decisions based on inaccurate data
- 73% have uploaded confidential company data into AI tools
- 78% have used AI for work they are not trained to do
- 40% report serious business impact from AI-related errors
These are not junior mistakes. They are leadership behaviours. And the rest of the organisation is watching.
What needs to change
Closing the confidence gap requires more than communication. It requires visible action in four areas:
Board-level expertise 80% of C-suite executives themselves say their company needs a dedicated AI specialist at board level. The demand is there. The appointments are not.
Strategy that reaches everyone 56% of C-suite say their AI strategy matches reality “very well”. Only 16% of entry-level staff agree. If the strategy is not visible and understood at every level, it is not working.
Governance with accountability Clear rules mean nothing if they do not apply to everyone. When senior leaders bypass safeguards, it signals that governance is optional.
Honest self-assessment The leaders who will succeed are those willing to scrutinise their own confidence, competence, and decision-making. Seniority does not equal capability.
Take the next step
If you’re concerned about AI readiness in your organisation, our Inovus team offers a free 30-minute consultation to discuss your AI strategy and data foundations.
Read the full research
This article draws on findings from AI in the Workforce: The Hidden Risk for UK Businesses, our independent research with over 2,000 UK tech workers.
The full report includes a practical framework for what to fix first.