TOKYO, July 18 — Japan ranked the lowest among six countries in a private-sector survey of companies about their use of generative intelligence, with only 9 per cent saying they found the technology to have exceeded their expectations.
According to Kyodo News, the survey released by PwC Japan Group, which has consulting firms under its wing, showed that Japan had the lowest rate compared with Britain, China, Germany, South Korea and the United States (US).
The results of the study came despite a trend among Japanese companies for the introduction of AI to streamline part of their operations, such as in summarising meeting minutes.
In contrast, the US had the highest figure, with 38 per cent of respondents saying AI performance was "well above expectations”, followed by Britain at 32 per cent.
The corresponding figures stood at 18 per cent for China, 17 per cent for Germany and 11 per cent for South Korea.
A total of around 3,000 people responded to the survey conducted between February and March.
It covered employees from companies with sales of US$310 million or more, specifically those in managerial-level positions and including those empowered to consider or make decisions on introducing generative AI.
While 47 per cent of respondents from Japan said the performance of AI was in line with expectations, the corresponding figure for other countries ranged between 43 and 58 per cent.
In both the US and Britain, more than 70 per cent of those promoting the use of AI said it had generated benefits that translated into returns to customers and employees, compared with 40 per cent in Japan, the lowest among the six.
While AI was often used in Japan for purposes such as submitting reports and sending e-mails, it was less used to create videos, audio and program codes, according to the survey.
"It's important to consider whether (introducing AI) aligns with a company's goals and vision," said Shimpei Miyoshi, an executive officer of PwC Consulting LLC.
