Indian Employees Lack Guidance to Use AI at Work, Says New Research

Indian employees reportedly do not have clear guidance on how to use artificial intelligence (AI) at work. As per the new report, there is an institutional gap when it comes to imparting the knowledge of AI technology and its practical use cases in Indian organisations. The report, which is based on a large-scale survey, claims that only three-in-ten employees feel confident about their AI skills, while the rest feel it is not adequate to let them use these tools independently.

Indian Employees Want to Upskill, Says Report

Udemy, an upskilling platform, released a research report titled, ‌“Ready or Not: The Emerging Gap Between Awareness and Action in ‌AI Transformation,” drawing on a new survey conducted by YouGov. The survey included 1,126 Indian employees between the ages of 18 and 70. All of the surveyed individuals were English-speaking and knew how to use the Internet.

One of the biggest findings of the survey is that 61 percent of Indian employees report that they do not have clear guidance on how to use AI at work for practical use cases. Additionally, only one in three individuals claimed to feel confident in their ability to use the technology independently.

Another interesting finding is the age-based AI skill adequacy. As per the survey, the most prominent age group with the least adequacy is the middle-aged employees between 30-44. Both other groups, 18-29 and 45-70, show higher levels of AI skills.

However, Indian employees do show a high affinity towards upskilling. As per the survey, 87 percent surveyed individuals said they felt motivated to develop new job skills. In fact, when compared to countries such as Brazil, the UK, and the US, India still tops the list for most employees keen on learning new work-related skills.

So, the question that arises is why such a duality exists between motivation and guidance? The answer lies in another seemingly unrelated data. As per the survey, there is a significant gap between what employees believe matters for employability and what managers are looking for.

Additionally, Udemy claims that Indian employees have a mixed outlook on AI. Drawing from the survey, the report claims that 32 percent of employees see both benefits and risks in their own lives, 45 percent expect it to improve their lives, and 34 percent believe AI can benefit society. This scepticism is also amplified by a lack of organisational support and learning opportunities.

“Workers understand AI is transformative, but psychological biases and institutional barriers may be preventing them from taking the very actions that could secure their futures. In other words, the AI train is at the station, but people are hesitating to board, uncertain of the journey and unprepared for what lies ahead. Organisations that help employees overcome these blind spots now will have a massive competitive advantage, so they aren't left waiting on the tracks when AI's impact truly hits,” said Hugo Sarrazin, President and CEO at Udemy.