Nearly all Thais using generative artificial intelligence (AI) at work reported increased levels of productivity and see the technology as key to their career advancement, according to a survey commissioned by global software firm Salesforce.
"Generative AI is increasing productivity and career advancement opportunities for Thai workers and businesses," said Amit Suxena, vice-president of Salesforce Asean, citing a study conducted by YouGov and commissioned by Salesforce.
The report revealed Thai workers' use of the technology and sentiments regarding generative AI at work. The study, conducted online between July 24 and Aug 3, included 1,049 Thai participants age 18 and above who are full-time office workers.
Nearly 99% of Thai workers using generative AI at work report increased levels of productivity. More than 60% of employees view generative AI as key to career advancement, noted the report.
Thai workers also have a desire to learn and use generative AI at work, and 37% are prepared to move organisations if training on using generative AI is not provided by their current employer.
The survey also revealed ethical and safety risks, with over 90% of Thai workers admitting to presenting work produced by generative AI as their own and 64% admitting to using generative AI platforms that their employer prohibits.
In addition, 90% of Thai workers are unable to identify all actions associated with using AI ethically or safely.
"This signals the need for training, guidelines, and policies for using generative AI, and the use of trusted generative AI tools,' said Mr Suxena.
"A concerted effort across the public and private sectors to use generative AI in a trusted, ethical, and secure manner will help Thai businesses make significant gains in their digital transformation progress."
It is critical that businesses start off with the right data foundations to capitalise on the potential of AI, he said.
Bringing all applications and data to be connected across the enterprises will enable AI to deliver the right predictions and recommendations, Mr Suxena said.
"AI is only as good as the data you have, and we find that many businesses struggle to unify their data."
The average enterprise has over 900 applications that house data, but over 71% of these applications are disconnected.
Salesforce Data Cloud can address this issue by connecting disparate data sources across the enterprise, so businesses can see their unique customer across all their data.
Businesses also need to implement clear guidelines and policies on when and how to use generative AI, complemented with trusted and secure tools, with built-in safeguards against AI hallucinations, toxicity, privacy risks, bias and data governance.
Salesforce has developed trusted AI and trusted generative AI principles as guidelines for the responsible and ethical use of these technologies.
He said education on the parameters when working with AI would deliver the best results, revealing how to validate responses generated from AI and spotting red flags in generated content would mitigate risks in using AI.
"Generative AI tools should be tailored according to the business needs which vary based on the industry."
Marketing and sales-oriented organisations may choose to explore the use of generative AI on top of their existing customer relationship management platform to generate targeted campaigns.
"Our goal is to help Thai businesses embrace AI in a trusted manner," said Mr Suxena.
He believes businesses need to prioritise investments in trusted AI solutions and leverage AI in business applications to stay competitive. They should have a digital strategy that builds resilience, increasing productivity and driving efficiency amid the unfavorable economic conditions at present.
Business also needs a vision for the future to meet growing customer and employee expectations.
Advancements in AI are bringing about a productivity revolution and this has the potential to help businesses accelerate growth amid times of uncertainty, said Mr Suxena.
