New report says employee loyalty in the era of AI will depend on how well organisations can improve their technology
Employers in the Asia-Pacific region face strong expectations from AI natives when it comes to access to AI tools, according to a new report from Zoom.
The report, which surveyed more than 2,500 employees in eight APAC markets, underscored the expectations placed on employers and AI to deliver in the digital age.
The respondents include AI natives, who are employees between 18 and 24 years old who had early exposure to AI and are now active users of the technology.
More than three in four (78%) APAC respondents believe that employers should provide access to AI tools to equip them for the digital world ahead.
This sentiment is particularly strong in South Korea, where 90% of AI natives state that access to AI tools is important, much higher than the 74% of non-AI natives in the market.
AI adoption in APAC
The findings come amid widespread adoption of AI tools in the APAC region, where just three per cent of the respondents said they are not using AI at work.
According to the report, AI natives utilise AI for more high-order tasks such as idea generation and brainstorming. Non-AI natives, however, use the technology for more assistive tasks like scheduling and data analysis.
Expectations among AI natives also extend to the tools they use at work. According to the report, 36% of AI natives in the region are twice as likely to adopt AI when it is integrated into their workflows, much higher than the 16% of non-AI natives.
Additionally, 42% of AI natives cited the number of manual corrections required after using AI tools as their biggest frustration with AI at work, much higher than 34% of non-AI natives.
In Hong Kong, 70% of AI natives also said tool-switching is a drag on performance, much higher than the 48% of non-AI natives in the market.
The findings indicate that AI natives hold employers and the technology to a higher standard, according to the report.
"AI natives in the APAC region have heightened expectations for how AI powers their everyday experiences, both as customers and employees," said Steve Rafferty, Head of EMEA and APAC, Zoom, in a statement.
But employers are reminded that not all employees are AI natives and they have different starting points when it comes to the technology.
"Loyalty in the era of AI will depend on how well and fast organisations can evolve their technology stack to address these differing expectations, and more importantly, embrace an 'AI-plus-human' model. This is how organisations will earn trust, drive growth, and future-proof their businesses with this up-and-coming demographic," Rafferty said.
