WSJ: American tech companies have begun to “impose” the use of AI on employees — it is taken into account when evaluating efficiency and hiring

For companies, this is also a way to prove to customers that their neural networks are effective for business.
Silicon Valley corporations and startups have moved from “recommendations to use AI” in their work to measures that actually oblige employees to use neural networks, writes the WSJ.
In particular, Amazon, Google, Meta*, Microsoft, and Salesforce have started tracking exactly how employees use AI tools and taking this into account when evaluating performance.

For example, Amazon Web Service managers have tools for monitoring the use of neural networks by engineers. Formally, these data are not taken into account when evaluating effectiveness, but managers pay attention to them when considering promotion issues — preference is given to those who actively use AI, an informed source told the WSJ.

Google also has a similar practice, the publication’s interlocutors say. A company representative said that the use of neural networks is encouraged and can be taken into account when evaluating the performance of some specialists, but it is not mandatory.

Meta*, according to sources, uses a system that determines how many lines of code are written using AI, and also offers engineers metrics for self-assessment.

At Microsoft, managers ask about the use of AI in face-to-face meetings during performance review. Employees are asked to evaluate how they use neural networks in their work.

Salesforce has added a tool to corporate employee profiles to track “progress in mastering AI.” The company’s representative explained that there are no specific indicators for the use of neural networks that need to be met, but management believes that the use of AI directly affects the increase in productivity.

However, achieving resource savings and productivity improvements is only one of the goals of the IT giants, the WSJ notes. Another goal is to show customers that their AI products work “in combat conditions” and help increase business profitability.

At the same time, “AI literacy” has become an important criterion for employment in some startups. For example, the developer of marketing tools, Conductor, immediately tests applicants for the ability to solve problems using AI: they are asked to explain the choice of tool and the tools used, as well as suggest how they would have acted six months ago.

According to the Section consulting company cited by the WSJ, as of October 2025, 42% of surveyed IT professionals stated that their superiors expected them to use neural networks in their daily work and build processes around AI.
But many employees still doubt the real effectiveness and time savings of using neural networks. They are also concerned about the statements of managers about the potential reduction of staff due to the use of AI in the future.