iTechGuides is reader-supported. When you buy through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Learn more
Possibly—but a new survey does not show that coworkers generally hide AI skills. It found that some workplace AI users said they kept productive prompts private or concealed their AI use. The distinction matters: the headline’s “hiding their skills” is broader than the behaviors the survey reported.
What did the survey find?
TechRadar’s October 5, 2026 report covered a Use.AI survey of 13,276 adults who use AI at work, across organizations in the UK, US, Canada, Australia, the EU, and Latin America. The results describe respondents in that sample—not all employees or every workplace. TechRadar’s report and Use.AI’s October 1 release report the following findings:
- 62% of regular workplace AI users believed better AI skills give an employee an edge.
- 38% said they kept productive prompts to themselves to gain a professional advantage.
- Among those described as keeping prompts private, 44% did not want colleagues to gain the same productivity advantage, while 31% said they had invested time and effort developing the prompt and did not want to give away that advantage.
- 41% of workplace AI users worried colleagues or managers would learn how much time and effort AI saved them.
- 36% said they had hidden AI use from coworkers, and 21% said they had hidden their productivity skills from a manager.
The reported percentages do not all have clearly stated denominators. In particular, the report does not establish that the prompt-related figures represent the same group as the figures about hiding AI use or productivity skills. They should not be combined or treated as estimates for the general workforce.
The Tool Desk
Outbyte Driver Updater FREEScan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minuteDriver Scan →Outbyte PC Repair FREEClear out junk files and repair common Windows errorsFree Scan →What does “hiding AI skills” mean here?
The survey’s reported behaviors are more specific than secretly possessing advanced AI expertise. They include withholding productive prompts, keeping techniques to oneself, hiding AI use, and not disclosing productivity skills to a manager. It does not establish how many respondents were highly skilled, what kinds of prompts or workflows they withheld, or whether coworkers had asked them to share.
#1 Best Overall
That makes the headline’s “secret AI whizzkids” framing punchier than the evidence. The results point to some respondents reporting concealment or reluctance to share; they do not prove that hidden expertise is widespread among colleagues generally.
Why did some respondents keep prompts private?
The survey report gives two reasons among people described as keeping prompts private: some did not want colleagues to gain the same productivity advantage, while others did not want to give away the effort they had spent developing a prompt. These responses suggest that respondents could view a useful prompt as a personal advantage rather than shared workplace knowledge. They do not establish that every person who withheld a prompt had either motive, or that these were the only reasons.
Use.AI co-founder and CEO Ihor Herasymov interpreted the findings as a reason for employers to think about how they reward people who turn private know-how into shared capability. That is his recommendation, not evidence that a particular incentive or knowledge-sharing policy has been tested and shown to work.
What’s actually slowing this PC down?
Pick the symptom - the matching free tool is one click away.
How much confidence should you put in the findings?
The survey’s reported sample is large and spans several regions, but size and geographic reach alone do not establish that its results represent workplace AI users in those places. The available reporting does not disclose the field dates, sampling method, weighting, questionnaire wording, or full denominator details for each result. Without that information, it is not possible to assess how respondents were selected or precisely what each percentage measures.
Microsoft’s 2024 Work Trend Index also discussed workers’ reluctance to admit using AI at work, but it is a separate, older study with a different research design and population. It provides context, not confirmation of the Use.AI survey’s 2026 percentages. Microsoft’s WorkLab article covers that earlier research.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.What this means if you manage or work with a team
The poll is a prompt to examine how teams handle useful AI know-how—not proof that a specific colleague is hiding a skill. If people appear reluctant to share, consider whether sharing is recognized, whether employees have clear guidance on appropriate AI use, and whether workers feel safe discussing how AI changes their output. Those are practical questions to explore; the survey does not identify a proven fix.
Quick Recap
Rank #4
- Stay present in every scenario: Every conversation is covered, in person, on calls, and online. 4 MEMS + 1 VPU microphones with AI beamforming capture every voice across the room. Smart Dual-Mode Recording switches automatically between phone calls and in-person. The free Plaud Desktop captures online meetings without a bot
- Walk out of every meeting with notes ready to act on: Plaud Intelligence transcribes in 112 languages with speaker labels and turns each recording into action items, decisions, and follow-ups, structured and ready to use. Choose from 10,000+ customizable templates tailored to your role and industry
- AI summary ready before you reach your desk: Auto Transfer moves each recording to the Plaud app automatically, and AutoFlow transcribes and summarizes so your notes are ready before you are back at your desk. Upgrade anytime to Pro (1,200 min/mo) or Unlimited
- Access your AI workspace anywhere: One connected workspace across Plaud Desktop, Plaud Web, and the Plaud mobile app, so your conversations and finished work follow you everywhere
- Your conversations stay private and yours: Compliant with ISO 27001, ISO 27701, SOC 2, HIPAA, GDPR, and EN 18031, with zero data used to train AI models. Trusted by 2.5M+ professionals, including legal, medical, and business professionals handling sensitive information
- For employees: Ask teammates to share repeatable workflows or prompts when appropriate, rather than assuming that quietness means concealment.
- For managers: Make expectations about documenting and sharing useful techniques explicit, and consider how that contribution is valued alongside individual output.
- For organizations: Distinguish between sharing a helpful method and disclosing sensitive information. The survey does not assess privacy, security, or employer policy, so those requirements need to be handled separately.
Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply.
