India Emerges as the Global Front-Runner in Everyday AI Use This surge puts India ahead of the developed countries; however, only 3% of executives worldwide believe AI is currently driving major improvements in innovation or complex problem-solving
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In bustling offices across India, from tech hubs in Bengaluru to co-working spaces in Gurugram, a quiet shift is unfolding. A recent report by Atlassian shows more than three out of every four knowledge workers in India now rely on generative AI every day, a remarkable rise from less than half just a year ago.
This surge puts India well ahead of global peers, with usage levels surpassing the US, Germany, France, and Australia. Also, the Indian workers are already seeing measurable benefits. On average, they save about 1.3 hours each day through AI use, compared with a global average of just under one hour. While the gains at an individual level are significant, researchers caution that these improvements are not yet translating into wider organisational impact.
Leadership behaviour appears to play an important role in shaping adoption. Teams with managers who actively use AI are four times more likely to apply it in daily workflows. Such teams are also three times more likely to adopt what the report calls "strategic AI collaboration," where AI is used collectively for decision-making and coordination rather than only for individual tasks.
"The next wave of value comes from using AI to connect knowledge, coordinate work, and align teams," said Molly Sands, Head of the Teamwork Lab at Atlassian. She added that the current focus on personal efficiency must expand to include broader collaboration if businesses are to see lasting gains.
The findings also point to a cultural difference in how Indian professionals approach AI. Eighty-six per cent of respondents in India reported feeling encouraged to experiment with AI, compared with lower levels in the United States and France. When results fall short, only 6 per cent of Indians said they stop using AI, down from 12 per cent in 2024. Many prefer to adjust their prompts or add examples to improve outcomes.
Although the report highlights an average 33 per cent boost in productivity for Indian workers, it also shows that only 3 per cent of executives worldwide believe AI is currently driving major improvements in innovation or complex problem-solving.
