WE Red Bridge Bridging the AI Expectation Gap

• 83% of global business leaders are optimistic about the benefits AI will bring to their organization. Out of the APAC markets surveyed, business leaders in China are the most optimistic, with 94% of respondents saying they are optimistic, and 66% saying they are very optimistic.
• 83% of global business leaders are optimistic about the benefits AI will bring to their organization. Out of the APAC markets surveyed, business leaders in China are the most optimistic, with 94% of respondents saying they are optimistic, and 66% saying they are very optimistic.
• 47% of surveyed executives expect customer service departments in their organizations to benefit the most from AI technology, followed by marketing and communications (46%) and product development (45%). These figures differ in China, where executives expect marketing and communications (50%) to benefit the most from AI, followed by product development (47%) and customer service (42%).
• 37% actively talk about AI’s benefits within their organization, compared with 35% in China. Although most leaders recognize the importance of AI, the vision-action gap is clear.
• 54% have no current investment in AI training. This figure is as high as 62% in China, which shows how AI integration still has a long way to go.

Key Strategies to Turn AI Vision Into Action According to WE, clear consistent communication will be key for aligning all stakeholders around a company’s AI vision. The study recommends four strategies that can lay the communications foundation for AI initiatives:

• Build the AI employee engagement strategy: Audit employee sentiment and optimize to address gaps and areas of interest and exploration in the build out and implementation of the organization’s AI content and engagement strategy.
• Link to the company’s transformation journey: Modernize the company narrative and messaging to account for how AI is advancing the overall transformational journey, showing the potential to drive growth, change and innovation in ways that are most relevant and specific to the organization.
• Employ executive communications and thought leadership: C-level and company leadership messaging and platforms need to go beyond topline proclamations to spotlight consistent examples, AI progress updates and the specific behaviours and change management needed to fully harness AI.
• Update crisis and issues preparedness plans: Conduct risk assessments and scenario planning on the potential AI-related issues and considerations for your business, incorporating these into overall preparedness plans.
• Update crisis and issues preparedness plans: Conduct risk assessments and scenario planning on the potential AI-related issues and considerations for your business, incorporating these into overall preparedness plans.