Hong Kong executives trail employees in AI adoption: McKinsey
Just 14 per cent of Hong Kong executives use AI frequently, as companies face strategy, data and training barriers to wider adoption
The majority of Hong Kong’s white-collar workers are embracing artificial intelligence in their daily work, but executives’ reluctance to use the technology risks slowing enterprise-wide adoption, according to a survey by McKinsey & Company.
Nearly 70 per cent of white-collar workers in Hong Kong use AI, with more than 90 per cent engaging with the tools at least once a day, according to findings from the consulting firm’s local survey released on Wednesday.
Most workers use AI for specific tasks, and fewer than 25 per cent use AI to execute an entire workflow, according to the survey.
The gap “really slows the enterprise adoption of AI, because ultimately employees need to see reinforcing behaviours from their leaders to change”, said Arthur Shek, managing partner of McKinsey & Company’s Hong Kong office.
While personal AI usage in Hong Kong ranks among the highest globally, corporate adoption lags because of a lack of clear strategies, infrastructure and data processes, he added.
Shek said the complexity of transformation lies not only in the tools, but also in mindset, incentives and organisational design.
“Oftentimes the effort involved in changing these factors is several times greater than the technology investment,” he said.