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New BSI model evaluates readiness for AI among businesses globally

Chinese and Indian businesses have a greater level of readiness to smoothly integrate AI into their operations, prepare employees for resulting changes to work and leverage it as a force for good, while the UK, Japan and the Netherlands have greater progress to make in areas including investment, training and supplier engagement, according to BSI’s newly-published Global AI Maturity Model.

BSI’s model assesses and weights a suite of measures including organizational confidence and readiness for AI adoption amongst businesses globally, to come up with a single score. It identifies India as the most AI mature market, scoring 4.58 to China’s 4.25. Based on insights from 932 business leaders across nine countries and seven sectors, metrics include attitude and actions including around investment, training, internal and external communications and safety. Published as part of BSI’s Trust in AI report, the analysis identifies the UK and Japan to be less mature relative to others, potentially influenced by factors including policy direction or media narratives focused on risk rather than opportunity. On all measures, China and India led the way, with the US in third place, followed by Australia.

The research identified gaps between perceptions of what successful AI adoption entails and concrete steps being taken. More than three quarters of global business leaders (76%) think organizations will be at a competitive disadvantage if they do not invest in AI. Yet 30% felt not enough was being invested by their businesses in AI tools. Similarly, while nine in ten felt offering training to ensure safe, ethical and effective use was important (89%), and a similar proportion (87%) felt businesses should train teams to utilize AI tools in order to protect jobs, only a third reported substantive awareness of their company offering such training and only two fifths said their businesses had a specific learning and development programme.

Overall, business engagement with AI is high, yet there are striking variances, with 96% and 94% in China and India saying their business encourages AI use, compared with 40% for Japan and 65% for the UK. A similar picture emerges around confidence in their business's ability to harness the benefits of AI in Japan (50% to China’s 96%). Larger organizations are more likely than SMEs to say their business encourages AI use (84% to 67%) and are more confident in their business's ability to harness it (89% compared to 76%).

Susan Taylor Martin, CEO, BSI, said: “BSI’s Global AI Maturity Model paints a positive but nuanced picture of a world excited about AI’s potential and its promise as a force for good. Some countries and some sectors are pulling ahead while for others there is a journey still to go on to build trust and confidence. Investment in standards, training and assurance is key as AI becomes integral to the future of life and work.

“While the Model shows diverging paths thus far on AI, its mass adoption and integration into work and life is a marathon, not a sprint. Success is not about being first, but about building trust. BSI is committed to playing a role in shaping the guardrails for the safe and ethical use of AI, which will help businesses globally respond to embrace AI to build a positive future for all.”

Notably, under half of businesses have an AI strategy (44%) – falling to just 28% in the Netherlands and 21% in Japan. More positively, 93% globally recognize the importance of an ethical approach to AI. BSI recently published the first international AI management system standard (BS ISO/IEC 42001), along with a package of measures designed to enable the safe, secure and responsible use of AI. However only one in three (29%) were aware of significant moves by their business to implement such policies and processes.

BSI also explored where leaders see scope for AI, with 55% saying the key opportunity is around improving productivity and efficiency, closely followed by improved customer service (46%). A quarter see it as a tool to reduce reliance on contractors or consultancies, while nearly two fifths (38%) expect AI to support the management, measurement and reporting of sustainability goals, and 40% expect to use it to support cybersecurity. Under a third globally (31%) anticipate AI changing or replacing specific job functions.

There are clear differences between sectors. Healthcare trails with 40% in the sector saying their employer is not currently investing in AI – compared with just 4% in technology roles. This is despite a high level of optimism within healthcare for AI to improve efficiency and productivity (62%) compared with more tentative responses from transport (51%), retail (53%) and agriculture leaders (46%).

The research finds that 83% globally recognize the importance of informing their supply chain about AI use, and 82% say the same about customers. However, only a third say their business is providing a significant volume of information to the supply chain about AI use, and just 26% are informing customers about their AI usage to the same extent.

The vast majority, in all markets and sectors, believe businesses should promote and support innovation in society, with strong recognition for the role they play to inspire trust in AI in their wider ecosystem, especially in innovation-focused sectors like life sciences (94%) and technology (91%). Slightly fewer say AI tools should be embraced even if some jobs change or are lost (72%), highlighting an awareness of, and perhaps some trepidation towards, the changing workforce. Two thirds (65%) agree innovation is more important than protecting existing jobs – dropping to 37% in the UK, 38% in France and 38% in healthcare.

BSI’s research draws together a number of learnings about how businesses can act to shape trust in AI across their ecosystems and wider society, so AI can be realized as a force for good. These include:

· Think long-term: Look at AI as part of your wider business strategy.

· More is not necessarily better: Take a step back to consider your organizational needs.

· Collaborate across borders: Support the safe roll-out of AI while also catalyzing innovation.

· Move from intention to action: Move from intention to action: Instil trust in AI by clarifying priorities and where action should be taken and accelerate progress towards it.

· Lead and inspire: Foster discussion about how AI can benefit society and the checks and balances needed.

· Race to the top: Embed high standards from the outset.