Indians want AI at work. But they don't want it making every decision

AI is becoming part of everyday work for Indian professionals, but concerns about the loss of human judgement and intuition, alongside data security, remain. While employees are keen to build their AI capabilities, they also want human oversight as the technology finds a greater role in the workplace.

According to Michael Page India's Candidate Pulse Report 2026, 97% of professionals are willing to develop their AI capabilities and 88% expect AI to improve productivity and efficiency in their area of expertise. However, 65% are concerned about the lack of human judgment and intuition in AI-led processes, while 61% flag privacy and data security.

From experimentation to everyday use

As many as 76% of professionals use interactive AI tools, such as chatbots and smart assistants, often or very often. Around 72% use generative AI often or very often, as do 71% for text-based AI.

Adoption of specialised applications is lower. Around 62% use analytical AI frequently, followed by functional AI at 55% and visual AI at 53%. Across all six categories, Indian professionals report more frequent AI usage than respondents in the other APAC markets surveyed, by between seven and 12 percentage points.

"Conversational tools are quite widespread, but analytical, functional and visual tools are less embedded in organisations. The immediate opportunity is to build AI into analysis, decision-making and operations, not just chatbots," says Nilay Khandelwal, Senior Managing Director, Michael Page.

He says organisations also need to provide employees with tools that fit their requirements and budgets, alongside training to help them use the technology effectively.

Productivity is welcome, but trust has its limits

Besides the 88% who expect improved efficiency and productivity, 73% anticipate automation of repetitive tasks, while 68% expect AI to enhance decision-making.

The biggest concerns are the potential loss of human judgement and intuition, cited by 65% of respondents, followed by privacy and data security at 61%.

Khandelwal says organisations need clear policies on human oversight and data protection. "These safeguards have to be built into the ecosystem; otherwise, the trust factor will go away."

Concern about job displacement is noticeably lower among Indian respondents than in the other APAC markets surveyed.

The pressure to acquire AI skills

Improving efficiency and productivity and preparing for future roles are among the key reasons professionals want to develop their AI capabilities. Many also see AI skills as a way to improve their hiring prospects and earn higher salaries, with pay emerging as a stronger motivation in India than in the other APAC markets surveyed.

Relatively few want to learn AI to move into entirely different sectors, suggesting that most see it to strengthen their existing careers rather than make a complete career shift.

For employers, the focus is also shifting from whether candidates know how to use AI to how they have applied it.

"When we look at the job briefs we receive from clients today, employers are increasingly asking candidates for examples of how they have used AI. The conversation is shifting from adoption to the impact of that adoption," says Khandelwal.

Candidates who can demonstrate how they have applied a tool to improve productivity or decision-making have an advantage, he says, both when entering an organisation and when progressing within it.

AI is also changing the job search

While 71% of professionals are familiar with AI applications in job searches and recruitment, 80% of those aware of these applications have used tools such as job-matching platforms, résumé builders and AI-powered interview coaching.

Around 81% expect these tools to save time, 71% expect them to help identify relevant positions and personalise applications, and 66% expect them to improve their résumés. Nearly two-thirds (64%) expect AI to improve their interview skills, 17 percentage points higher than the corresponding figure across the other APAC markets surveyed.

Khandelwal says the use of AI in recruitment does not eliminate the need for human assessment. "Recruitment can be AI-enabled, but it must remain people-powered. AI can help employees search more efficiently and remove administrative bottlenecks, improving the candidate experience. But it should sharpen human judgement rather than replace it," he says.

The Candidate Pulse survey covered 3,401 professionals across 11 APAC markets, including 2,550 respondents in India.