TOKYO – Japan ranked the lowest among six countries in a private-sector survey of companies about their use of generative intelligence, with only 9 percent saying they found the technology to have exceeded their expectations.
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.
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 summarizing meeting minutes.
In contrast, the United States had the highest figure, with 38 percent of respondents saying AI performance was “well above expectations,” followed by Britain at 32 percent. The corresponding figures stood at 18 percent for China, 17 percent for Germany and 11 percent 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 50 billion yen ($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 percent 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 percent.
In both the United States and Britain, more than 70 percent of those promoting the use of AI said it had generated benefits that translated into returns to customers and employees, compared with 40 percent 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.