The Pulse
Punchcard Finds Half of Heavy-Industry Workers Use AI
A Punchcard Systems survey found that 49% of Canadian heavy-industry workers use AI, while many report no employer training. The study, conducted with Angus Reid Group, surveyed 1,100 working Canadians and found workers trust AI more for pa
AI.info Team · Written with AI ·
Workers are adopting AI before employers set the rules
Nearly half of Canadian workers in heavy industry use AI, but most have received no formal training, according to a new study from Edmonton-based Punchcard Systems. The gap is especially stark in construction, where 87% of workers reported no formal AI training, BetaKit reported on October 6.
Punchcard’s report puts AI use among heavy-industry workers at 49%. BetaKit reported that 70% of those workers said they had received no formal training. The figures point to workers bringing general-purpose AI tools into their routines while employers are still working out what tools to approve and how to guide their use.
“In heavy industry, adoption is being driven by workers using a chatbot or general-purpose AI tools on their own, well before most companies have implemented formal AI tools and guidelines on how to use them throughout the business,” Sam Jenkins, Punchcard’s co-founder and managing partner, told BetaKit.
Workers use AI for paperwork, not safety calls
The report draws a line between tasks where workers will use AI and decisions they are reluctant to hand over. Among heavy-industry AI users, 68% said they trust AI with routine procedures or how-to information when a person reviews the output; 66% said the same about reports, logs or job paperwork. Trust fell to 27% for decisions affecting worker safety or physical risk, even with review.
That pattern matters in workplaces where a wrong answer can have consequences beyond a faulty document. Workers also reported using AI to interpret technical drawings, manuals and specification sheets. Only 2% said they completely trust AI with safety-related decisions, while another 27% said they trust it with human review.
“Formal support” means more than a training course
Punchcard’s report uses a broader measure than training alone: formal AI support includes employee training, approved tools, written rules and someone at work to ask for help. By that definition, 68% of heavy-industry workers reported having no formal support, compared with 54% in other industries. The report notes that informal discussions may still happen.
Those measures have different denominators and should not be conflated. The 70% figure cited by BetaKit describes heavy-industry workers reporting no formal training; Punchcard’s 68% figure covers workers reporting no formal support of any of the listed kinds. Both point to a workplace gap, but they measure different things.
Jenkins argues that employers should involve workers as they decide how AI fits into the job. “If there’s one thing I’d ask leaders to take from this report, it’s to start with your people rather than the platform,” he writes in the report.
A survey of 1,100 working Canadians
Angus Reid Group surveyed 1,100 working Canadians for Punchcard from September 2 to 11, 2026. Respondents were members of the Angus Reid Forum and worked full-time, part-time, for themselves or on contract; the survey included extra recruitment in manufacturing, construction, natural resources, utilities, automotive and agriculture.
The findings are self-reported and capture one point in time. They describe workers’ reported use and access to employer support, not a count of AI systems formally deployed by Canadian companies.