Indian consumers are well aware of artificial intelligence (78%) and the country has emerged as the second market (with Indonesia at 68%) with the highest positive outlook towards AI (65%), according to a study by Salesforce, the maker of customer-relations software.
Most Indians (64%) also feel AI will transform the employee space, by providing freedom to work, creating interesting jobs, and many see AI as a way to make society smarter (60%) and life more convenient (58%).
“AI is coming of age. As businesses continue to find new ways to innovate with AI technologies, awareness and education on its benefits for consumers will become increasingly important, ” said Sunil Jose, senior area vice-president and country leader, Salesforce India.
The research ‘Artificial Intelligence in Asia: Trust, Understanding and the Opportunity to Re-Skill’ was commissioned across seven Asian markets including Singapore, India, Hong Kong, Malaysia and Indonesia.
It said 64% of Indians are confident that new jobs will emerge from AI, giving them the opportunity to do better and more interesting jobs. Upskilling will be crucial and 56% of Indians are ready to upskill and make themselves relevant for the jobs of the future.
In addition to overall AI awareness, the study explores the real-world applications of AI including robo advisors, content recommendations, chatbots, product recommendations, and voice assistants. Consumer trust and awareness vary dramatically across different AI applications, with 86% of Indians opting for AI over humans to recommend the content.
The study also reveals that Indians are open to AI managing and optimizing their finances (59%). Additionally, the study found that there is a general openness towards interacting with chatbots (63%) and awareness of voice assistants is the highest amongst all AI applications (83%).