AI at Work: Global South Outpaces West, India Takes First
Broad adoption in emerging markets shows optimism.
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BCG’s latest survey of 10,635 respondents in eleven nations showed that nations in the Global South are leading in AI use in the workplace, a repeat of similar surveys.
I am always intrigued by AI surveys because it isn’t enough to simply build an AI, people have to use it to receive its many benefits.
This is where it gets interesting, because, as seen in this survey and others, it is developing nations that are adopting AI faster than the West, where AI was born.
AI is a “general-purpose technology” like the steam engine. Can you imagine if England had invented the steam engine, but the then-developing nation, the US, used it more?
I know that sounds absurd, but try drawing the same parallel with AI. The US invented, or at least commercialized, GenAI but is second to last in usage, with India, the Middle East, Spain, Brazil, and South Africa leading.
So, what is it that these “Global South” developing nations and Spain, the sole major user in the West, know that the West doesn’t?
A hint of an answer can be found in the survey, which also showed that employees in these same high-usage countries have the highest fear of job loss.
It appears that the fear of replacement, stemming from unstable work environments, is driving them to adopt AI at a higher rate, as it provides a competitive advantage.
For most developing nations, AI is seen as the pathway to a better tomorrow, serving as rocket fuel for its adoption.
👉Top Challenges to Adoption & Strategic Imperatives
🔹 Lack of skills or training
Training is often too short or superficial — only 36% of employees say they have been trained on the skills needed for AI transformation.
🔹 Limited access to the right tools
Nearly four in ten employees, 37%, say their company is not supplying the right tools. When corporate solutions fall short, 54% say they would use unauthorized AI tools, raising security risks.
🔹 Lack of support from leadership
Only 25% of frontline employees say they have received sufficient support from their leadership on how and when to use AI at work.
Imperatives:
🔹 Stop underestimating the importance of training. Commit appropriate levels of investment, time, and leadership support
🔹 Track the value you are generating with AI improvements in productivity, quality, and employee satisfaction.
🔹 Invest in your people to reshape workflows and unlock AI’s value. Anticipate AI’s impact on work, workers, and the workforce. Build upskilling and reskilling capabilities to support workforce deployment.
🔹 Experiment rigorously with agents to accelerate the experience curve. Track impact and potential risks via A/B testing.
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