No AI takeover: Nearly all workers rely on human judgment before turning to technology

Human judgment remains the default

According to the report, 74% of workers say they rely on their own judgment first, while 23% say they turn to coworkers or managers before consulting AI.

The pattern intensifies under pressure. When decisions are high-stakes and time-sensitive, 60% of workers say they rely on their own judgment and 33% on colleagues, leaving just 7% who say they would lean on AI in those moments.

When AI and a coworker’s judgment conflict, workers side with people. Resume Now reports that 72% of workers would follow a coworker’s judgment over AI output, compared with 28% who would follow the AI. As the report notes, “Workers appear to view AI as an additional source of information rather than an authority, preserving responsibility and accountability with themselves and the people around them.”

TELUS previously described public sentiment on AI as “optimism tempered by caution,” with 57% of Canadians believing AI can improve quality of life while also expressing concern about serious risks.

Trust in AI still developing

Confidence in AI is not moving in a single direction, the Resume Now survey found. Among workers who were already using AI a year ago, 37% say their trust has stayed about the same, 27% say it increased, and 8% say it decreased.