62% of Indian employees use GenAI regularly as workplace adoption surges: EY

India has become one of the world’s most enthusiastic adopters of artificial intelligence in the workplace, a shift that is already reshaping how employees work and how companies measure productivity.

According to EY’s 2025 Work Reimagined Survey, India now sits at the top of the firm’s global “AI Advantage” index, scoring 53 points compared with a global average of 34. The survey, which drew responses from 15,000 employees and 1,500 employers across 29 countries, suggests that India’s workforce has moved beyond experimentation and into everyday use of artificial intelligence.

Nearly two-thirds of Indian employees said they use generative AI regularly at work, one of the highest adoption rates globally. Both employers and employees reported tangible benefits: stronger productivity, better decision-making and improved quality of output. Nine out of 10 employers said AI had boosted productivity, a view shared by a large majority of workers as well.

What stands out is not just the speed of adoption, but the confidence with which Indian workplaces appear to be embracing the technology. The survey found high levels of trust in ethical and responsible AI use, with employers and employees alike expressing confidence in areas such as data privacy, explainability and accountability—concerns that have slowed adoption in many other markets.

Yet even as artificial intelligence becomes more central to work, the fundamentals of employment remain stubbornly familiar. Pay, bonuses and flexibility continue to shape how workers judge their jobs. In India, employees ranked bonuses and flexible schedules above nearly every other factor, while employers said they were placing almost equal weight on traditional rewards and investments in AI-related skills.

The survey also reveals a quiet tension beneath the optimism. While an overwhelming majority of employers and employees agree that learning new skills is essential, the time actually devoted to building AI capabilities remains limited. Most workers globally spend fewer than 40 hours a year learning about AI, even as those who invest more time report higher productivity and lower intent to leave their jobs.

For companies, the message is clear: technology alone is not enough. “When organisations invest in skills, provide clarity around how roles will evolve, and adopt AI responsibly, employees are more engaged and confident about the future,” said Anurag Malik, a partner and national leader for people consulting at EY India.

As artificial intelligence becomes embedded in everyday work, India’s experience suggests that the real advantage may lie not just in adoption, but in how deliberately companies prepare people to work alongside it.