New Delhi [India], June 26 : India is leading the global GenAI charge, with 92 per cent of employees embracing such tools, well ahead of the global average of 72 per cent, according to a new report by Boston Consulting Group (BCG).
AI is now woven into the fabric of daily work, with 72 per cent of respondents using it regularly.
But the true value of AI is being captured by a smaller subset of companies that go beyond tool deployment to fully redesign workflows, according to the new report from BCG titled 'AI at Work 2025: Momentum Builds, But Gaps Remain', released on Thursday.
The third edition of BCG's annual survey, based on responses from over 10,600 workers across 11 countries, reveals that while AI adoption is strong overall, only 51 per cent of frontline employees are regular usersa figure that has stagnated.
Meanwhile, the Global South continues to lead in adoption, with India at 92 per cent and the Middle East at 87 per cent as the nations with the highest levels of regular use.
Yet these two high-use countries also report the greatest fear about automation's impact, far higher than the 41 per cent of all global respondents who worried their roles could disappear within the next decade.
"The country (India) also ranks among the top nations experimenting with AI agents, with 17 per cent of employees reporting integration into their workflows, placing India in the global top three. However, this rapid adoption brings new challenges. Nearly half (48 per cent) of Indian employees fear job displacement over the next decade, highlighting a growing sense of uncertainty," Nipun Kalra, Managing Director and Senior Partner; India Leader - BCG X, BCG.
"Furthermore, only about one-third of the workforce feels adequately trained to leverage AI's potential fully. As we move from early adoption to delivering real business impact, Indian enterprises must invest in structured training, in-person coaching, and leadership enablement to scale value both responsibly and inclusively."
The BCG report underlined three key levers to boost AI adoption.
Proper Training: Only 36 per cent of employees feel adequately trained in AI use. Those who receive five or more hours of trainingespecially in person and with coachingare significantly more likely to become regular users.
Access to the Right Tools: Over half of respondents (54 per cent) say they would use AI tools even if not authorised, with Gen Z and Millennials especially prone to bypass restrictions. This "shadow AI" poses rising security risks.
Strong Leadership Support: Just 25 per cent of frontline workers say their leaders provide enough guidance on AI. Where leadership is engaged, adoption and employee optimism are markedly higher.
"Companies cannot simply roll out GenAI tools and expect transformation," said Sylvain Duranton, Global Leader of BCG X and a coauthor of the report. "Our research shows the real returns come when businesses invest in upskilling their people, redesign how work gets done, and align leadership around AI strategy."
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