Nearly one in three Canadians admit they have exaggerated their AI skills at work, and the Canadian AI skills gap behind that admission now reaches the jewellery sales counter. That is the standout figure in TD Bank’s 2026 AI Insights Report, and it carries a direct lesson for retailers and suppliers who sell for a living.
The rest of the survey fills in the shape. Most Canadians polled treat workplace AI as inevitable. Three quarters grade their own skills a C or lower. Barely a third feel their employer has trained them properly. The technology arrived faster than the confidence to use it, and people are quietly papering over the difference.
What did TD find about the Canadian AI skills gap?
The findings are worth reading together, because each one sharpens the next. The confidence is low, the pressure is high, and the training to close the distance is largely absent.
| Finding from the 2026 TD AI Insights Report | Share of Canadians polled |
|---|---|
| Believe workplace AI adoption is inevitable | 78 per cent |
| Rate their own AI skills a C or lower | 75 per cent |
| Say their workplace lags others on AI adoption | 53 per cent |
| Rate their AI skills an A | 4 per cent |
| Admit to exaggerating their AI skills at work | 32 per cent |
| Have received adequate AI training from their employer | 37 per cent |
| Say AI makes them more productive | 59 per cent |
| Say AI gives them a competitive edge | 58 per cent |
Why does a banking survey matter to the jewellery trade?
Because the independent jeweller is the exact worker TD describes, only without a corporate learning department to lean on. The owner who covers the floor, the repair intake and the Instagram account improvises the same way, with less time to catch up and a competitor down the mall who is not waiting.
One detail should reframe how the trade reads this. The generation most convinced AI is here to stay is not the youngest. It is the oldest. Boomers led every other age group on that question, at 89 per cent, ahead of Gen X, Millennials and Gen Z. The people who have run jewellery businesses the longest are treating this as a structural shift, and that is worth weighing.
TD itself has been moving deeper into the retail space, most recently through a private-label credit venture with a diamond retailer. When a bank of that scale treats AI fluency as core to its own strategy, the signal to smaller merchants is hard to miss.
Where should a jewellery business start with AI?
Start with the pressure that is already inside the business. Staff believe AI is coming whether the owner addresses it or not. Named and supported, that belief becomes an advantage. Ignored, it becomes unmanaged experimentation nobody can see or steer.
Then treat the training shortfall as the opening it is. With only 37 per cent of Canadians reporting adequate employer training, the bar to stand out is low. A store that hands its people one practical tool, and shows them how it earns its keep, is already ahead of most of the market.
Finally, adopt where the money actually leaks. In this trade that means the enquiries that go unanswered after hours and the special orders that stall on slow follow-up. Fixing those first puts the tool to work somewhere visible on the sales report, which is also where confidence is easiest to build.
The Monday-morning file
Name the skills gap out loud with the team, rather than letting people bluff through it alone. Pick one repeatable task that loses time or leads today. Put a single tool against it, measure the result for thirty days, and let that visible win fund the next step. In a market where few feel trained, doing this deliberately is a durable edge.
The gap TD measured is not a flaw in Canadian workers. It is a moment. The jewellers who treat it as a chance to lead, rather than something to bluff through, are the ones who will look back on 2026 as the year they stopped losing quiet sales they never knew they missed.
Frequently asked questions
What is the 2026 TD AI Insights Report?
It is TD Bank Group research, conducted with Ipsos, measuring how Canadians feel about using artificial intelligence at work, including their confidence, training and adoption expectations.
How many Canadians exaggerate their AI skills at work?
Nearly one in three, at 32 per cent, admit they have overstated their AI abilities at work as workplace expectations rise.
How confident are Canadians in their AI skills?
Confidence is low. Only 4 per cent rate their AI skills an A, while 75 per cent rate themselves a C or lower.
Do Canadians feel trained to use AI at work?
Most do not. Only 37 per cent say they have received adequate AI training from their employer, pointing to a wide gap between expectation and support.
What does the AI skills gap mean for jewellery retailers?
It is an opening. A store that adopts one practical AI tool where the business loses time, such as after-hours enquiries and slow order follow-up, can lead a market where most competitors feel unprepared.
Sources: TD Bank Group, 2026 TD AI Insights Report; TD Stories, Innovation.
Author: Canadian Jeweller Editorial Team
The editorial team of Canadian Jeweller Magazine, Canada’s jewellery industry publication since 1879. We report on retail strategy, diamonds and gemstones, watches, precious metals, technology, and the business of jewellery across Canada. Editorial inquiries: editor@canadianjeweller.com.
