India and Vietnam lead AI adoption at 84%, followed by China at 78%. At the other end, Japan and Hungary see less than 40% of workers using AI. Romania ranks 41st out of 48 countries analysed in the report.

"AI has great potential to increase productivity and creativity, but many employees are not rushing to adopt it. This reluctance is mainly explained by fragmented implementation and lack of training courses adapted to each category of employees' skills," said Ruxandra Târlescu, Tax, Legal & People Partner at PwC Romania. Companies can start with practical examples of AI use and give employees the opportunity to experiment, especially those in non-managerial roles where confidence and adoption rates are lower.

Senior executives show greater openness to AI adoption, with 64% of senior executives and 59% of managers using AI at work in the past 12 months, compared to just 35% of non-managers. By generation, 57% of Gen Z employees use AI, compared to 44% of millennials and 35% of Gen X workers.

Daily AI usage among Romanian workers is also among the lowest: approximately 6% use generative AI tools daily (global average 14%), and only around 2% use AI agents daily (versus 6% globally). Only one-third of Romanian employees are enthusiastic about AI's impact on their work, below the global average of 41%. However, 49% are curious about how AI will influence their work, and 24% express concern.

For Romanian employees who do use AI, the impact is positive: 75% see improved work quality, 69% increased creativity, and 64% productivity gains. "Those who use AI discover the benefits and can influence adoption on a larger scale. The future depends on new technologies and employees must adapt to meet companies' growing demands for AI skills," said Oana Munteanu, Director at PwC Romania.

The survey shows 60% of Romanian employees are optimistic about their future role in their company, one of the highest percentages among the 48 countries analysed, while the global average is 53%.