The report is Leveraging AI: Strategy is more important than toolsis based on a global survey of 11,749 employees across 14 markets, ranging from financial services to healthcare.
David Martin, BCG’s global leader for people and organizational work and the report’s lead author, said in an email that the number of employees who lack the necessary guidance is surprising. “But this is also what we see with many AI transformations: While companies are moving quickly to give people tools, many have not yet redesigned work around those tools.”
He added that time saved does not automatically translate into value. If front-line employees can save a few hours a week but have no direction on whether to use that time for customer service, quality improvement, innovation, or faster execution, “that value may simply leak outside the organization.”
The solution, Martin said, is for leaders to change the scoreboard. “It’s not just about measuring AI adoption or time savings; it’s about deciding where that time should go, measuring whether it’s being reinvested, and giving managers clear guidance on how to help their teams leverage AI. This is where AI transformation becomes a business challenge, not just a technology rollout.”
