Survey finds US executives recommend higher rates of employee involvement in and awareness of AI development than other leading countries
A new report released by the global business improvement and standards company BSI finds that 90% of US business leaders say their company encourages the use of AI or has confidence in their ability to successfully harness its benefits.
According to the latest update to BSI’s Trust in AI report, which surveyed nearly 1,000 business leaders across nine markets and seven sectors, US leaders regularly ranked near the top of most questions related to AI accountability. American leaders are seemingly prioritizing systems and structures in AI development, with more than half (54%) of leaders saying their company has an AI strategy in place. And while most business leaders surveyed agreed it’s important to keep up to date with regulations and guidance around AI use and management; the U.S. finds it to be the most important compared to other markets at 69% agreement.
Overall, global engagement with AI is high everywhere, yet there are striking variances around how businesses in different regions are involving employees. Leaders in the US (59%) and Germany (55%) place high importance on involving employees in testing and trialing new AI tools, compared with only 31% in the UK and Japan. A similar picture emerges around transparency; in the US, two-thirds of business leaders say it is a high priority to inform employees about AI use, compared to less than a quarter (24%) in Japan and 36% in the Netherlands.
The data paints the picture of a nation of businesspeople determined to advance AI technology briskly, but ideally without rushing headlong into workplace issues. In fact, most businesses in the US (90%) believe they have a responsibility to promote and support innovation in society, with a strong recognition for the role they have to inspire trust in AI in their wider ecosystem.
Companies who are already or planning to leverage AI in their business expect to utilize the technology for operations (74%), marketing (64%), and sales (56%), with the goal of either enhancing or delivering a new standard of customer experience (58%). Concerning internal operations, businesses are utilizing AI primarily in the candidate recruitment process (74%) and to aid in employee performance management (78%).
US leaders’ good intentions may come with complications
Most business leaders consider adopting new technologies as a crucial step in maintaining a thriving business and competitive edge, as more than three-fourths (79%) believe insufficient investment in AI would result in a competitive disadvantage. Nearly half of US leaders (45%) expressed they strongly agree with this belief, the highest of nine countries surveyed.
Roughly three-quarters of leaders say AI tools should be embraced even if some jobs change or are lost (76%), highlighting an awareness of, and perhaps some trepidation towards, the changing workforce. In fact, two–thirds of US leaders (65%) agree innovation is more important than protecting existing jobs.
US leaders may also still be lacking some key assets that could help them properly integrate AI into their organizations. Only 38% report having an L&D program to ensure successful delivery of AI training, a board level executive focusing on how AI is being deployed in the business (32%) and a Chief AI executive or equivalent role (13%). While the US is clearly excited for the business opportunities of AI – and many leaders are speaking confidently about their preparedness – there may yet be more work to do before the technology can truly become a force for good.
Sector-specific data indicates wide gaps in preparedness
Across seven industries whose leaders were surveyed by BSI, the report found clear differences between each sector’s willingness to prioritize AI. Healthcare trails behind the group, with 40% of those in the industry saying their employer is not currently investing in AI, followed by built environment (24%), and agriculture sectors (22%), compared with just 9% in life sciences and pharmaceuticals. This is despite a high level of optimism within healthcare for AI to improve efficiency and productivity (62%) compared with more tentative responses from transport (51%), retail (53%) and agriculture leaders (46%).
The research finds that 83% of businesses overall recognize the importance of informing their supply chain about how AI is being used, and 82% say similarly about customers. Yet, there is a gulf between whether those conversations are happening in reality, as less than half (41%) of built environment leaders said they are at all aware of their business informing customers on how AI is being used in the business, compared to healthcare (80%), retail (79%) and agriculture leaders (74%).
The BSI survey also found that agriculture and healthcare sectors may be falling short in their pursuit of AI solutions to digital trust issues. Around three-in-four (74%) agriculture leaders said they’re utilizing AI to identify and manage cyber risks, and that figure drops to less than half (48%) among healthcare companies.
Measuring Preparedness: BSI’s Global AI Maturity Model
Published as part of BSI’s Trust in AI report (explore in dashboard form), the new Global AI Maturity Model assesses and weights a suite of measures including organizational confidence and readiness for AI adoption amongst businesses globally, to come up with a single maturity score, and the findings identified gaps between perceptions of what successful AI adoption entails and the concrete steps being taken by businesses.
BSI’s AI Maturity Model identified gaps between country perceptions of what successful AI adoption entails and the concrete steps being taken. The analysis identifies the US as the third most mature AI market overall, scoring a 4.0, with India as the most mature market 4.58, to China’s 4.25, with the UK and Japan considered less mature relative to others.
However, despite being rated the third most AI-mature country, the US was sixth out of nine countries concerning perceptions around trust – indicating there is work to be done to instill trust in AI in America. Based on business leader insights across nine countries and seven sectors, the metrics consider both attitude and actions, including around investment, training, internal and external communications and safety.
Susan Taylor Martin, CEO, BSI, said: “BSI’s International AI Maturity Model paints a positive but nuanced picture of a world excited about AI’s potential and its promise as a force for good. Some countries and some sectors are pulling ahead while for others there is a journey still to go on to build trust and confidence. Investment in standards, training and assurance is key as AI becomes integral to the future of life and work. While the Model shows diverging paths thus far on AI, its mass adoption and integration into work and life is a marathon, not a sprint. Success is not about being first, but about building trust. BSI is committed to playing a role in shaping the guardrails for the safe and ethical use of AI, which will help businesses globally respond to embrace AI to build a positive future for all.”
BSI’s research draws together four key takeaways exploring how businesses can act to shape trust in AI across their ecosystems and wider society, so AI can be realized as a force for good. These include:
- Think long-term:Look at AI as part of your wider business strategy – once the foundations are in place, businesses can optimize and evolve their AI strategy as technology advances.
- Businesses and policymakers should collaborate across borders: The goal must be to innovate with AI, but to do so safely. Alongside regulatory routes, cross-border collaboration can offer necessary protections.
- Move from intention to action: Instill trust in AI by clarifying priorities and accelerating progress towards them.
- Lead and inspire: Set the standard for an AI future in which the technology is a force for good.
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