As artificial intelligence entirely alters workplaces, frontline employees — nurses, baristas, retail associates, and restaurant staff — are experiencing both relief and uncertainty. AI tools promise to reduce stress and streamline schedules, but a new survey shows that technology alone cannot solve the deeper, longstanding challenges facing shift-based work.
AI Adoption Is Growing, But Largely Invisible
Deputy’s 2025 Better Together Survey, conducted with Workplace Intelligence, polled 1,500 frontline workers across the U.S., U.K., and Australia. Nearly half of respondents (48%) reported AI being used in their workplace, yet only 25% personally interact with it. Meanwhile, 42% believe AI isn’t used at all.
Despite the low visibility, the impact is significant: 96% of AI users reported satisfaction with the technology, and 94% said it made their jobs easier. Forty percent also reported reduced stress and burnout.
“AI can improve frontline jobs — but the real measure of success is whether it helps people do the work they were actually hired to do. Frontline workers don’t need more tools; they need the right tools that remove friction, not add to it,” Silvija Martincevic, Deputy CEO, told Allwork.Space.
Empathy Still Rules the Day
While AI can handle repetitive tasks and optimize schedules, workers overwhelmingly agree that human connection is irreplaceable. The survey found 68% of respondents — and 99% of healthcare workers — say the human touch is “very essential,” and globally, 94% agree AI cannot replace empathy.
Dan Schawbel, Managing Partner at Workplace Intelligence, told Allwork.Space that “AI is absolutely making frontline jobs easier, but it’s only solving surface-level issues.”
Meaning that burnout, low pay, and understaffing remain. These require real investment, not automation.
Trust and Inclusion Are Key
One of the most striking findings from the Deputy survey: just 17% of workers say their employer is transparent about AI, and only 15% were consulted before AI tools were implemented. This gap in trust explains why only 37% of respondents feel optimistic about AI’s long-term impact on their roles.
“Better AI alone doesn’t create trust — participation does,” Martincevic explains. “Workers trust AI when they are included in its rollout, not when it simply appears on the shop floor.”
Schawbel says that the real opportunity here is a different relationship between workers and the people introducing that technology. When employees have agency, they feel respected — and that’s what builds trust.
The Path Forward: Amplifying, Not Replacing
The survey underscores a paradox: frontline workers recognize AI’s value today, yet long-term optimism depends on clarity, predictability, and inclusion.
Martincevic puts it plainly: “Technology should make shift work more human, not less. The companies that understand this will lead the next decade of workforce transformation.”
AI’s greatest promise lies not in replacing humans but amplifying their abilities. Predictive scheduling, automated shift swaps, and real-time notifications give workers control and stability — the two things they consistently identify as most important.
Frontline workers aren’t asking for more automation; they’re asking for respect, reliability, and tools designed with them in mind. AI can eliminate administrative chaos, but it cannot replace trust, empathy, and the human connection that keeps teams strong.
The lesson for companies is clear: long-term success with AI depends on human-centered design, transparency, and inclusion. Organizations that prioritize these principles are setting the stage for sustainable transformation in the years to come.
