76% of Workers Say Their Favorite GenAI Tools Lack Business Context, Limiting Benefits

New survey finds data gap limits workplace value as AI adoption accelerates

Generative and agentic AI tools are rapidly becoming workplace fixtures, with most workers gravitating toward conversational LLM interfaces like ChatGPT, Claude, or Slack AI, according to a new survey from Salesforce and YouGov. But the research reveals a critical gap: 76% say their preferred AI tools lack access to company data or work context - the information needed to handle business-specific tasks.

AI that's disconnected from enterprise systems never earns sustained use.

The limitation shows up in how workers leverage a number of different tools, context switching across built-in and standalone consumer AI. Case in point: workers who use AI tools inside and outside their work systems, toggle between an average of four different AI options, and nearly half of those workers (45%) say AI would work better for personal tasks than work tasks. The reason appears straightforward: without access to the right business systems and data, even advanced AI tools can't address company-specific needs.

Workers see the value to be unlocked - provided tools can access the right information. For workers using both embedded and standalone AI tools, 60% say giving AI tools secure access to company data would improve their work quality, while nearly as many point to faster task completion (59%) and less time spent searching for information (62%).

"Large Language Models (LLMs) alone are not enough," cautioned Srini Tallapragada, president and chief engineering & customer success officer at Salesforce. "Agents need detailed context from enterprise systems to return useful answers and take actions. AI that's disconnected from enterprise systems never earns sustained use."

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Methodology

All figures, unless otherwise stated, are from YouGov Plc. Total sample size was 1,207 adults, of whom 517 are currently employed either full time or part time. Fieldwork was undertaken between December 4 and 5, 2025. The survey was carried out online. The figures have been weighted and are representative of all U.S. adults (aged 18+).