'Only a third of executives have a clear vision for how generative AI will impact their workforce'
Despite the growing investment in generative AI this year, a new report has found that a focus on the talent who will be impacted by the technology is not given as much priority.
The report, released by Accenture, surveyed C-suite executives and employees in 22 industries and five countries in the Asia-Pacific region.
It found that 87% of APAC C-suite leaders feel prepared to raise their investment in gen AI this 2025, with the top reasons being:
Half of the organisations also said that the primary focus of their gen AI investments in 2025 will be in their IT departments. Another 20% said it will be focused on the HR department, according to the report.
However, investment in the employees who will be using the technology is falling short, according to the report. Only 70% of employees in APAC said they have the training needed to use gen AI efficiently, much lower than the 91% of C-suite leaders who believe this is the case.
Globally, 92% of C-suite leaders believe their employees are trained to use AI/gen AI efficiently, but only 72% of employees agree with this.
And only 30% of employees say they understand the potential value of gen AI to their organisations.
In fact, around a quarter of employees who are not using gen AI tools said they're still not using them because of:
Matt Coates, Technology lead for Accenture in Australia and NZ, said their findings indicate that many still face "significant challenges in understanding, training, and implementation" of AI at work.
"Too many organisations view generative AI solely as a technological solution, rather than as a driving force to rethink talent strategies," Coates said in a statement.
"Only a third of executives have a clear vision for how generative AI will impact their workforce. This emphasises the importance of a strategic approach that harmonises technology and human talent to fully realise the power of reinvention that gen AI provides."