Safety First: Psychological Safety as the Key to AI Transformation

Abstract

Organizations continue to invest in artificial intelligence, yet many struggle to ensure that employees adopt and engage with these tools. Drawing on research highlighting the interpersonal and learning demands of technology use, this study examines whether psychological safety is associated with AI adoption and usage in the workplace. Using survey data from 2,257 employees in a global consulting firm, we test whether psychological safety is associated with adoption, usage frequency, and usage duration; and whether these relationships vary by organizational level, professional experience, or geographic region. Logistic and linear regression analyses show that psychological safety reliably predicts whether employees adopt AI tools but does not predict how often or how long they use AI once adoption has occurred. Moreover, the relationship between psychological safety and AI adoption is consistent across experience levels, role levels, and regions, and no moderation effects emerge. These findings suggest that psychological safety functions as a key antecedent of initial AI engagement but not of subsequent usage intensity. The study underscores the need to distinguish between adoption and sustained use and highlights opportunities for targeted organizational interventions in early-stage AI implementation.