55% Indian, Middle Eastern professionals believe AI can increase productivity 

Almost three-quarters (70 percent) of employees in India and the Middle East - most new hires in their departments are expected to have some expertise with Artificial Intelligence.

Employees in India and the Middle East have the greatest levels of artificial intelligence usage and expertise, with the majority believing they can save time and be more productive using AI.

According to a report by Freshworks, 88 percent of these employees use AI-powered software solutions with ease and estimate they could save two hours more than any other region in a work week.

Employees from other countries save only around three hours and 47 minutes a week.

“This study presents a fascinating overview of AI adoption globally. We're particularly impressed by the high levels of usage and expertise in India and the Middle East," Sandie Overtveld, Freshworks' Senior Vice President & General Manager APJ & MEA, said.

The Global AI Workplace Report, which surveyed 7,000 professionals globally in HR, IT, customer services and support, finance and accounting, sales, marketing, and legal, said more than half — 54 percent —Indians admitted using free versions of online AI tools like ChatGPT. Globally, employees (30 percent) are concerned about where AI is pulling its information from.

Almost three-quarters (70 percent) of employees in India and the Middle East — mostly new hires —are expected to have some expertise with AI. This is in sharp contrast to the US (33 percent) and UK (32 percent), where there is far less of a need for AI specialists.

Almost all industry leaders are keen to adopt AI across their organizations. Globally, 46 percent of the employees said those who haven’t joined the AI bandwagon are already behind and most likely to fail in the future.

This comes hand in hand with the extensive investment in AI. In India and the Middle East, more than half (57 percent) of managers and higher-level employees say their departments would allocate more money for AI-powered software products.

Senior employees agree that AI-enabled software can showcase a significant impact on businesses within two years. Around 56 percent of managers, especially in the IT and marketing departments, say ROI for AI is better in comparison to other software within their organisations.

One area in which India excels is the trust element. Significantly, 86 percent of employees said they have faith in AI tools to improve their workflow.

Adoption rates follow this trend. India surpasses the worldwide norm with 75 percent adoption among leaders. However, all employees would also likely advocate for stronger company policies around AI, with 68 percent saying they would trust the technology more if a human review of its outputs was mandatory.

India is establishing itself as a global leader in AI acceptance and adoption. Its high comfort levels, trust, and investment in AI position the country to reap significant benefits from this rapidly evolving technology, the report said.

Overtveld said privacy issues remained a concern to many. To foster trust and fully realise the advantages of AI, businesses must place a high priority on data protection and ethical practices, Overtveld said.