AI Trends Heading Into 2026: Resume Now’s 2025 Year in Review

Across 2025, Resume Now surveyed thousands of workers and employers to uncover how AI is redefining trust, transparency, and value in the workplace.

, /PRNewswire/ — In 2025, artificial intelligence moved from buzzword to workplace staple. From hiring and compliance to leadership and pay, AI is shaping how people find jobs, manage teams, and make career decisions. AI resume builder, Resume Now®, surveyed thousands of workers and employers throughout the year to understand how this transformation is playing out, including the optimism, anxiety, and new habits forming in between.

The AI Trends for 2026 Report examines eight AI-focused studies conducted across 2025 and highlights what they reveal about where the workplace is heading in 2026.

“2025 proved that AI isn’t just changing how we work, it’s changing how we think about work,” said Keith Spencer, career expert at Resume Now. “Across every stage of the career journey, automation is raising new questions about trust, value, and what makes work meaningful.”

1. The Year Began With Anxiety and Uncertainty
AI Disruption Report: Workers entered the year with fears about AI’s impact and a need for greater transparency and training in AI adoption.

9 in 10 workers feared job loss to automation.
43% of workers said they know someone who has lost a job due to AI.
44% expected AI to take over some of their tasks within five years.
54% said their employer is only “somewhat transparent” about AI adoption plans.

2. Job Seekers Learned to Compete With and Through AI
AI-Powered Job Search Report: AI began to influence how candidates found opportunities, created resumes, and compared roles.

84% said AI makes it easier to find jobs.
80% reported using AI-powered job search platforms.
68% of workers used AI to write resumes.
66% believed AI has significantly intensified job competition.

3. Companies Tried to Catch Up With Governance
AI Compliance Report: As AI adoption grew, employees struggled to navigate unclear company policies and called for increased AI training.

57% were concerned about unclear AI policies at work.
57% admitted to using AI in ways that may violate company policies.
43% said they need more training on how to use AI effectively.
58% believed AI policies should be managed by IT, not HR.

4. AI Moved Into Hiring at Scale
AI and Hiring Trends 2025: Recruiters and hiring teams turned to AI to streamline the hiring process and improve the decision-making process.

91% of employers reported using AI to hire.
94% said AI screening tools are effective at identifying top candidates.
73% said time-to-hire has improved since implementing AI tools.
79% believed companies should regulate the use of AI-generated content in job applications.

5. The Applicant Experience Became More Automated and More Frustrating
AI and the Applicant Report: The use of AI tools among job seekers increased, but the resulting lack of personalization was seen as a red flag by employers.

62% of employers said they reject resumes that lack a personal touch.
78% of hiring managers said they look for personalized details as a sign of genuine interest and fit.
57% had seen a noticeable uptick in AI-assisted submissions over the past year.
90% reported an increase in low-effort or spammy applications.

6. Workers Met Their “RoboBosses”
RoboBossing Report: AI-driven management tools entered the workplace. Workers began navigating automated oversight.

66% of workers said AI in leadership would make the workplace more fair and efficient.
73% supported AI having a say in major company decisions like hiring, layoffs, and budgeting.
55% believed AI could make better promotion decisions than humans.
34% said they would prefer to report to an AI manager, but 62% still preferred a human.

7. AI Became a Daily Career Companion
AI Boss Effect Report: AI evolved from a management tool to a workplace companion and advisor.

97% of workers had asked ChatGPT for advice instead of their manager.
77% said losing access to ChatGPT would hurt their work.
72% said ChatGPT gives better advice.
49% said ChatGPT has been more emotionally supportive than their manager.

8. AI Entered Pay and Performance Conversations
AI in Pay Report: Automation started to influence how compensation and fairness are measured.

63% expected AI’s role in compensation to grow significantly in the next five years.
56% said they think AI plays a much larger role in pay decisions than it did three years ago.
68% believed AI’s involvement makes pay and bonus decisions more fair.
94% said AI pay algorithms should be reviewed by an independent third party.

“As organizations move into 2026, AI is no longer an experiment. It is part of daily work,” Spencer said. “The challenge for leaders is to ensure AI makes people, not just processes, more valuable.”

To view the full AI Trends for 2026 Report please visit resume-now.com/job-resources/careers/ai-trends-for-2026-report or contact Kathy Gardner at [email protected].

Methodology
The findings in this report are based on eight independent surveys conducted by Resume Now throughout 2025. Each survey gathered responses from between 800 and 1,200 U.S. workers and hiring professionals, depending on the topic. Participants represented a diverse mix of industries, company sizes, and career levels. The studies explored attitudes toward artificial intelligence across multiple aspects of work, including job search, hiring, compliance, management, and compensation. Participants responded to a combination of yes/no questions, multiple-choice questions, Likert scale ratings, and open-ended responses. Survey data were collected online using qualified panels managed by Resume Now’s research partners. All responses were anonymized and aggregated to identify national trends.

About Resume Now
Resume Now is a powerful resource dedicated to helping job-seekers achieve their potential. Resume Now’s AI resume builder is a cutting-edge tool that makes creating a resume fast, easy, and painless. Resume Now has been dedicated to serving job seekers since 2005. Alongside its powerful AI resume builder and stylish ready-to-use templates, it also features free advice for job seekers at every career stage, guides for every step of the hiring process, and free resources for writing cover letters. Resume Now is committed to supporting job seekers and workers alike and has conducted numerous surveys related to the experience, trends, and culture of the workplace. These surveys have been featured in Business Insider, CNBC, Fast Company, Yahoo!, Forbes, and more. Keep up with Resume Now on LinkedIn, Facebook, X, and Pinterest.