23 free resources on this topic. Everything here is free and hand-picked. You can also search within this topic.
Free blog outlining Forrester’s predictions about workplace AI monitoring, unequal access to tools and employee backlash. The scenarios are forecasts rather than observed 2027 outcomes; the full client report and advisory services are separate paid offerings.
Free press release summarizing PwC’s 2026 survey of 49,364 workers in 48 countries and regions. Describes differences in AI use, training access, job security and intent to change employers; these are self-reported survey associations, not proof that AI causes retention or productivity changes.
A State of AI page by Nathan Benaich of Air Street Capital, reviewed October 31, 2026, comparing separate estimates of AI adoption, spending and financial returns, and explaining who each source measured, when, and what it counted as adoption.
Graphite presents research on generative AI product usage, growth, market share, mobile adoption and referral traffic. The publicly readable report and download describe the marketing company's analysis, not a representative survey of every AI user.
Michael Normyle examines the rise in Census business applications without planned wages since early 2025 and compares sector-level application growth with AI adoption. The article argues that generative AI may lower barriers for solo businesses while identifying tax-reporting changes as a likely unrelated driver of earlier retail growth.
Why I recommend it: The article presents an interpretation of business-application and sector data; timing and sector associations do not establish that AI caused the increase.
Atlassian's webinar discusses its 2026 developer-experience report, AI adoption and organizational strategy. Free registration offers November 9–10 sessions, with a recording sent to registrants who cannot attend.
TalentLMS reports that 42% of surveyed employees still use tools or processes their managers think have been replaced. The vendor's research covers AI adoption, training and six strategies for changing work habits.
Preprint examining whether psychological safety is associated with workplace AI adoption and usage, using survey data from 2,257 employees at a global consulting firm.
Ramp's data index tracking business AI adoption over time.
Harvard Shorenstein Center report (October 14, 2026) by Laura Manley, Allison Wan, Brian Friedberg and colleagues on gender gaps in AI use and work.
Stanford HAI article arguing that framing AI adoption around productivity gains alone undermines employee buy-in, and outlining alternative approaches to workplace AI rollout.
Sixteenth annual Stack Overflow survey of more than 30,000 developers and technologists across 169 countries, covering AI usage, job satisfaction, employment arrangements, and technology trends. Reports that 33% of respondents are not happy at work and that freelance/self-employed status rose from 3.9% to 10.5% year over year.
Revenue Brew reports on new data from Homebase, an AI-powered operator for small businesses: 89% of small businesses using AI report a positive impact, and owners are more than twice as likely to expect AI to help their business grow (49%) than to reduce head count (22%). Nearly three-quarters (74%) of surveyed small businesses are using or piloting AI tools, up from 64% in 2025, with usage ranging from 54% among businesses under $500,000 in revenue to 81% among those above $5 million. Businesses using AI for scheduling and payroll report an estimated 7.7 hours and $343 saved per month.
Accenture's recurring Pulse of Change survey of C-suite executives and workers on business, technology and workforce trends, including how organizations are approaching AI adoption, talent and reinvention. The page presents the latest edition's findings with charts and analysis.
LeadDev feature on software developers who refuse to use AI tools, even when it costs them clients, job offers and career progress.
Why I recommend it: A set of personal stories, not a survey — useful for understanding the trade-offs, not how common this is.
A free one-hour online session on September 28, 2026 (1–2 p.m. ET) about helping middle managers turn a company's AI plans into everyday team habits. Speakers: Michael Domanic (Head of AI, Section) and Monika Saha (Chief Commercial Officer, Articulate).
Details: Free RSVP, but it asks for your work email, company and job title. Section sells AI training to companies, so expect the session to also promote their services. Useful mainly if you manage a team or want to.
Gallup and Microsoft survey of the first 37 countries (of a planned 140): positive feelings about AI outweigh negative ones in 34, but a median 57% of adults have never used AI, and use ranges from 79% in Singapore to 3% in Malawi.
Why I recommend it: Free to read. Useful data on how people around the world feel about AI. Note the study is run with Microsoft, a company that sells AI, and covers only 37 countries so far.
Fast Forward's 2026 report on how tech nonprofits are using AI to serve people and communities.
Why I recommend it: Written by an accelerator that funds these nonprofits, so expect an optimistic view. It's still a good look at real AI-for-good projects.
A free newsletter and news site for IT professionals from Morning Brew, published four times a week, covering cybersecurity, cloud, hardware, IT operations, software and the practical side of AI adoption inside companies. Stories are short, reported, and written from the perspective of the people who have to run the systems — patching, asset inventories, wi-fi troubleshooting, legacy migration — rather than the vendors selling to them. Also runs free virtual events and digital guides.
Why I recommend it: Free to read on the site and free to subscribe — the subscribe box asks for an email, but nothing is paywalled. This is one of the better free ways to learn the vocabulary of an IT job you have not had yet, because it covers the unglamorous work that interviews actually ask about. Two things to keep in mind: it is ad and sponsor funded, so sponsored posts sit alongside the reporting and you should check the byline and any 'presented by' line; and it is written for people already inside IT departments, so expect jargon on first read.
A regularly updated free collection of articles, videos, podcast appearances, research findings, books and downloadable tools on the future of work, from Brian Elliott's advisory firm Work Forward. Filterable by format and by topic — career development, culture at work, diversity and inclusion, flexibility, generative AI, leadership and management, return to office, technology adoption, and time and meeting management.
Why I recommend it: The downloadable tools are the part worth your time — they give you language for asking a manager about flexibility or AI workload without sounding like you are complaining. Elliott founded Future Forum at Slack and is unusually blunt about not trusting vendor-published studies, which is a point in his favor. Still: this is an advisory firm's library, so it exists to demonstrate expertise it sells. Read it for the questions, not the verdicts.
The first volume of Tech:NYC's Decoded Futures prompt cookbook: ready-to-copy AI prompt recipes for nonprofit work, sorted by task, each offered at three levels of detail — a quick one-paragraph version, a structured version with steps, and a full version specifying role, steps and output.
Why I recommend it: Free, no account, nothing to install — you copy a prompt and paste it into whichever assistant you already use. Start at the Low level if you are new; it works with no setup. Swap the bracketed placeholders for your real organization details, because a prompt left generic gives you a generic answer. Volume 2 is also in this library; V.1 is still worth keeping for the tasks it covers that V.2 dropped. Written for nonprofit teams, but the recipes for writing, summarising and planning transfer to any job.
Free downloadable guides and checklists on adopting AI at work safely, running better meetings and improving operations — including a security checklist for AI notetakers.
From the site: Help your team adopt AI securely, improve meeting habits, and scale operational efficiency with these resources grounded in real use cases from high-performing companies.
Why I recommend it: The guides are free but most ask for an email address. Fellow sells a meeting assistant, so treat these as useful material published by a vendor with something to sell.
Interview with operator Sarah T. Khan on why AI investments stall between purchase and measurable results, and how to spot the gap before it becomes expensive.
Why I recommend it: The lesson applies at any size: buy tools for a named problem with a named owner, or the spend quietly disappears.
