Why Are Indian Businesses Hesitant About AI: Latest Avian WE Brands in Motion Report

Avian WE unveiled India-specific findings from WE Communications’ (WE) latest ‘Brands in Motion’ (BIM) global study, “Bridging the AI Expectation Gap,” at an event held in Bengaluru this week.

The study based on 2,900 respondents worldwide, including 500 from India, shows that implementation lags even as companies are bullish on AI.

Neha Mehrotra, managing director of Avian WE, stated: “For businesses, the crucial question is not whether to adopt AI, but how swiftly and effectively they can leverage this transformative power. While enthusiasm for AI is high, the implementation gap is concerning. This report highlights the critical need for strategic communication to bridge the AI expectation gap and provides a comprehensive roadmap for organisations to harness AI's full potential.”

Key India Findings: Few Businesses have concrete plans for AI implementation

There was broad recognition of the opportunity for AI to drive impact across business functions. The leaders polled identified product development, customer service, and marketing and communications as the top three areas that would benefit most from greater adoption of AI.

The graphic below outlines the responses across key areas including status of AI training, communication about AI via leadership and concerns about implementing AI.

Solving for the AI Implementation Gap

The study recommended four strategies to turn AI vision into action:

1. Build an AI Employee Engagement Strategy: Audit employee sentiment and optimize to address gaps and areas of interest in the build-out and implementation of the organization’s AI content and engagement strategy.
2. Link to the Company’s Transformation Journey: Modernize the company narrative and messaging to show how AI is advancing the overall transformational journey, demonstrating its potential to drive growth, change, and innovation.
3. Employ Executive Communications and Thought Leadership: C-level and company leadership messaging need to spotlight consistent AI progress updates and the specific behaviors and change management needed to fully harness AI.
4. Update Crisis and Issues Preparedness Plans: Conduct risk assessments and scenario planning on potential AI-related issues, incorporating these into overall preparedness plans.