While artificial intelligence (AI) transforms American business, Florida risks being left behind. Recent polling by The James Madison Institute reveals a troubling divide among the state’s workers: though 40% use AI daily or regularly in their jobs, nearly one-third report never using it at all. More concerning, younger workers (17%) are more than three times as likely to use AI daily compared to those 55 and older (5%). This gap isn’t just a statistical curiosity. It represents billions in unrealized productivity gains and a competitive disadvantage that Florida businesses can ill afford.

The resistance to AI adoption stems largely from outdated fears about job displacement. But these concerns, while understandable, are increasingly contradicted by reality. Florida businesses that hesitate to embrace AI aren’t protecting jobs. They’re simply ensuring those jobs become less productive and less competitive in a global marketplace that won’t wait for stragglers to catch up. As Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang recently said, “You’re not going to lose your job to an AI, but you’re going to lose your job to someone who uses AI.”

Consider the efficiency gains already transforming early adopters. AI-powered tools are revolutionizing customer service in Florida’s tourism sector, enabling hotels and attractions to handle inquiries in multiple languages around the clock while freeing staff to focus on complex guest needs that require human judgment. In health care, AI assists physicians in analyzing diagnostic images and identifying potential issues faster and more accurately, allowing doctors to spend more time with patients. Logistics companies use AI to optimize delivery routes, cutting fuel costs and delivery times while reducing their carbon footprint.

These aren’t marginal improvements. Research shows employees using AI report productivity increases averaging 40%,while specific workflows can see efficiency gains ranging from 20% to 40%. Customer service operations have achieved issue resolution improvements of 14% per hour and workers report saving multiple hours per week on routine tasks. For a state built on tourism, health care, real estate and international trade, AI offers competitive advantages in every major sector. Florida companies that fail to adopt these tools aren’t just missing efficiency savings. They’re watching competitors in Texas, Georgia, and elsewhere capture market share with faster service, lower costs, and better customer experiences.

The reluctance to embrace AI often rests on apocalyptic predictions about job losses that haven’t materialized. In 2015, McKinsey’s widely cited analysis initially projected that approximately 45% of work activities could be automated using demonstrated technology. This forecast fueled widespread anxiety about a jobless future. But subsequent research revealed a more nuanced reality. McKinsey’s later analysis found that fewer than 5% of occupations could be entirely automated and that between 15% and 30% of work hours could be affected by 2030, depending heavily on adoption rates.

The difference? Real-world implementation revealed what early predictions were missing.

Why the dramatic revision? Because early predictions failed to account for how AI actually functions in the workplace.

Most jobs aren’t collections of identical, repetitive tasks that machines can simply take over. They’re complex combinations of routine work, judgment calls, interpersonal communication and creative problem-solving. AI excels at handling the routine elements, but the human skills of adaptability, emotional intelligence and complex reasoning remain irreplaceable. Rather than eliminating jobs wholesale, AI transforms them by automating the mundane and elevating the human contribution.

This reality presents Florida with both a challenge and an opportunity. The generational divide in adoption of AI isn’t an insurmountable obstacle but rather a roadmap for where investment and attention are most needed. Workers over 55 represent decades of institutional knowledge, customer relationships, and industry expertise that Florida businesses cannot afford to lose. The solution isn’t to replace these experienced workers with younger, more tech-savvy employees. It’s to pair institutional wisdom with technological tools that amplify productivity.

Smart businesses are already doing this. They’re implementing AI gradually, with training programs that emphasize how these tools make existing jobs easier and more rewarding. They’re discovering that experienced workers, once past initial hesitation, often become the most effective AI users because they understand the business context and can better judge when to trust the technology and when to override it. Companies that invest in upskilling their current workforce gain both technological capability and employee loyalty.

For Florida policymakers, the path forward should emphasize removing barriers rather than creating mandates. The state should ensure that workforce development programs include AI literacy. Community colleges and technical schools should partner with businesses to develop training that matches real-world needs. Regulatory frameworks should be updated to enable AI adoption without stifling innovation through premature or excessive restrictions.

The free market will ultimately determine which businesses thrive and which fall behind; however, Florida can create an environment that provides businesses with every opportunity to compete. That means fostering a culture of technological adoption, celebrating businesses that successfully integrate AI while maintaining their workforce, and ensuring that workers at every career stage have access to training.

Florida’s economy has consistently adapted to change, from the introduction of the car to air conditioning to the emergence of the internet. AI is simply the latest transformation, and those who embrace it earliest will capture the greatest advantages. The question isn’t whether AI will reshape Florida’s workforce. It’s whether Florida will lead that transformation or scramble to catch up. With nearly a third of workers not using AI at all, the time to close that gap is now.

Every day of delay is a day of lost productivity, surrendered competitive advantage, and missed opportunity for workers and businesses alike.

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Dr. Edward Longe is the director of the Center for Tech and Innovation at The James Madison Institute.