Singapore workers are among the least sceptical about artificial intelligence (AI) globally, but the country continues to lag in daily workplace adoption, according to new research from software company Salesforce.
In a survey of over 1,500 desk workers in four continents, just 29 per cent of Singapore respondents identified as AI sceptics, below the global average of 37 per cent. This figure is much lower than the 53 per cent recorded in the United States, Britain and France.
Despite this openness to AI, just 6 per cent of Singapore desk workers say the technology is a key part of their daily work. This places Singapore among the lowest globally and nearly half the global average of 11 per cent.
The study suggests that the gap between workers’ willingness to embrace AI and actual adoption could be due to the unsuccessful AI pilots experienced by 31 per cent of Singapore respondents.
Among these respondents, 40 per cent said that generic outputs were the reason for failure, the highest proportion of the markets surveyed, compared to the global average figure of 30 per cent.
Another 38 per cent cited a lack of trust in outputs, compared to the global average of 28 per cent. In addition, 30 per cent said AI results lacked sufficient business context, compared with the global average of 22 per cent.
The findings show that Singapore workers are held back by tools that are not relevant, accurate or reliable enough for professional use.
On the flip side, Salesforce also identified over 500 workers globally, who have gone beyond initial AI pilots and are using AI in their daily work.
According to the research, successful AI adoption requires having an ecosystem in place that supports role-specific training, with AI embedded into existing workflows, and strong data security technology.
The findings show that in Singapore, the barrier to AI adoption is a delivery issue and businesses can consider shifting their focus to introduce AI technology and ensure that it is relevant to employees’ roles and embedded into work processes.
“Singapore workers are not standing in the way of AI – they’re waiting for AI that works for them,” said Paul Carvouni, senior vice president and general manager for Asean at Salesforce.
He noted that the poor experiences with pilots are resulting in workers not experiencing the real business potential of AI.
“Leaders have to move past generic tools and use AI that is trusted, grounded in business context and built into daily work,” he stressed. “Do that, and adoption will not just follow.”
