Managers Have Adopted AI for Performance Reviews
A survey of 1,034 employees shows that most managers now use AI to draft or summarize staff performance feedback.
Updated on Oct. 7, 2026 in Job Search
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Do you trust AI-generated performance reviews to provide useful feedback for your career?
Recent data reveals that 78% of managers have utilized artificial intelligence to help draft, edit, or summarize performance reviews over the past year. Despite this adoption, only 16% of non-managerial staff reported being explicitly informed that AI played a role in their assessments.
Why it matters
The integration of AI into performance management aims to accelerate feedback preparation and provide employees with a new avenue for practicing difficult workplace conversations. However, the reliance on these tools has created a divide in how staff perceive the quality and utility of their professional evaluations.
While 54% of employees find AI-assisted feedback more actionable, 34% report that the AI-generated comments feel generic. Additionally, 32% of surveyed staff noted that the feedback received via AI tools was less useful than traditional methods.
The players
Highwire
Highwire is the organization that conducted the survey of 1,034 corporate employees regarding AI usage.
Atlassian
Atlassian is a global software company that researches workplace trends and published findings on AI adoption in June 2026.
The details
Managers frequently employ AI to format and summarize observations about their team, while nearly 1 in 4 employees now use AI avatars to rehearse challenging workplace discussions. Although 85% of workers agree that practice is essential for such talks, less than half receive explicit support from management to do so.
Timeline
78% of managers used AI for review tasks during the last year.
A June 2026 study by Atlassian examined the implications of AI usage.
Market Landscape
This trend highlights an industry-wide transition toward automated HR processes as companies seek to scale management capacity. This adoption mirrors findings from the June 2026 Atlassian study on AI backfire, demonstrating that efficiency gains for managers can simultaneously degrade the employee experience.
Employees should prepare for the increasing likelihood that their annual reviews will be generated or summarized by AI algorithms. If you find AI-assisted feedback lacks personal nuance, you may need to proactively request a follow-up conversation with your manager to ensure specific professional goals are addressed.
The takeaway
AI tools can serve as a valuable substitute for employees who lack access to managerial coaching for difficult conversations. However, staff should remain aware that automated feedback is not always as tailored as human-written analysis and may require further clarification.
Further reading
Learn more about the evolving workplace environment in our Job Search section.
Live Poll
Do you trust AI-generated performance reviews to provide useful feedback for your career?
