Indian companies lead global AI readiness, yet office transformation remains slow

Indian companies score above global peers on AI readiness but only 19 per cent have started changing office space and operations to reflect that, with a 58‑point gap between recognition and execution, a report said.

The report from JLL said 77 per cent of Indian business leaders recognise AI will need changes implemented in the workspace.

"AI will add jobs, not cut them, according to India’s business leaders, but a shortage of skills, not money, is now the biggest hurdle to change," the report said.

Nearly 58 per cent respondents expect workforce growth over the next three to five years and 62 per cent said AI will make human roles more valuable rather than replace them.

The survey of over 2,200 CEOs, CFOs and real estate heads across 21 countries found "Indian companies are ahead of the rest of the world in putting AI to use in how they plan and run their offices".

India scored higher than the global average on all eight AI-related measures tracked.

“For the first time in 15 years of tracking this data, 46 per cent of Indian companies cite skills shortage as their primary barrier versus only 35 per cent citing budget, capability now outweighs cost," said Ajit Kumar - Managing Director, Work Dynamics Accounts, West Asia, JLL.

Kumar mentioned the skills gap as a positive inflection point, because skills can be developed internally and sourced externally far more readily than waiting for capital allocation cycles.

"The companies that reframe this as a skills development challenge rather than a budget constraint—and invest in the 50 per cent who are prioritizing AI support and infrastructure—will define India's workplace transformation over the next decade," he added.

Nearly 56 per cent of India firms track AI trends against 46 per cent globally and 45 per cent Indian companies run staff training and change programmes against the global average of 36 per cent.

"Nearly one in five Indian companies (19 per cent) say they have reached the most advanced stage of using AI in their real estate operations, against 15 per cent globally. Counting those still scaling up, 47 per cent are actively rolling out AI, against 42 per cent worldwide," the report said.