India Among Top Three Countries Most Optimistic About AI’s Impact On Work: BCG

As generative Artificial Intelligence and its systems, including ChatGPT, DALL-E and others evolve and make inroads in business, they are impacting the workplace and employees too.

According to recent research by the Boston Consulting Group, while employees show optimism towards the impact of AI—and generative AI, in particular—on work, sentiments vary considerably by seniority and country.

The research was based on a survey of more than 12,800 employees from the executive suite to the front lines across industries in 18 countries around the world, to understand how the evolution of AI has impacted the workplace. 

“GenAI is a rapidly evolving space, and its transformative impact is already being felt in workplaces around the world,” said Nicolas De Bellefonds, global leader of AI and software at BCG X and co-author of the research.

AI Optimism Rising, Concern Falling; Sentiments Vary By Seniority And Geography

When asked about AI's impact on work, 52% of respondents ranked optimism as one of their top two sentiments, a 17-point increase from 2018, when this survey was last conducted. Concern saw the steepest decline compared with five years ago, falling from 40% to 30%.

Senior leaders, who are more frequent users of Generative AI, are more optimistic and less concerned about it than frontline employees. While 62% of leaders were optimistic about AI, only 42% of frontline employees shared that view. A majority of leaders (80%) reported that they use generative AI tools regularly, while only 20% of frontline employees did so. Further, frontline employees made up the largest percentage of non-users (60%) of generative AI tools overall.

Sentiments about AI in the workplace also vary by geography. The most optimistic are Brazil (71%), India (60%) and the Middle East (58%). Meanwhile, the least optimistic are the United States (46%), the Netherlands (44%) and Japan (40%). The geographies most concerned about AI are the Netherlands (42%), France (41%) and Japan (38%), while the Middle East (25%), Brazil (19%) and India (14%) were the least concerned.

Bracing For Impact Of AI

Around 36% of respondents thought that their job is likely to be eliminated by AI. In preparation, 86% of respondents believed they will need training to sharpen their skills. However, only 14% of frontline employees said they have gone through any upskilling training to date, compared with 44% of leaders.

“Upskilling is essential and must be done continuously. It should go beyond learning how to use the technology and allow employees to adapt in their role as activities and skill requirements evolve,” said Vinciane Beauchene, a BCG managing director, partner and coauthor of the research.

Regulation And Responsibility Priority For Employees 

Despite their concerns, 71% of respondents believed the rewards of generative AI outweigh the risks. However, 79% of all respondents also believed that AI-specific regulations are necessary.

Many companies are developing and deploying responsible AI frameworks to manage the technology in a manner that aligns with organisational purpose and ethical values.

Employee views on the effectiveness of these programmes vary. While 68% of leaders felt confident about their organisations implementing measures for responsible AI use, only 29% of frontline employees shared the view.

The Bottom Line For Leaders

The report outlined three key recommendations for leaders as they navigate their organisations through the AI revolution: 

• Ensure that there are spaces for responsible AI experimentation: The more regularly employees use AI and generative AI, the more they recognise its benefits, limitations and risks.

• Invest in regular upskilling: Organisations must invest in regular training to help employees prepare for work changes and succeed in evolving roles.

• Prioritise building a responsible AI programme: Employees want guidance and reassurance that their organisations are approaching AI ethically, and leaders want to be able to help frame emerging AI regulations.

“Responsible AI doesn't just mitigate risk, it can also increase innovation and productivity, and generate value and competitive advantage for organisations,” said Steven Mills, chief AI ethics officer at BCG and coauthor of the report.