Corporate executives’ generative AI literacy and their implementation in business are correlated

Office Chatani, Inc. reveals the reality and background of generative AI in major corporations.

TOKYO, JAPAN, April 22, 2025 /EINPresswire.com/ -- Office Chatani, Inc. (CEO: Masayuki Chatani) conducted a survey across executives in companies with over 1,000 employees regarding the current adoption of generative AI and their literacy on the topic. This survey reveals the current state of implementation and the executives’ literacy in generative AI in major corporations.

<Background>
In recent years, generative AI technologies have evolved rapidly, prompting many corporations to utilize them to improve operational efficiency and productivity. By utilizing generative AI, tasks such as document creation, data analysis, and content creation can be carried out efficiently in a short amount of time, garnering attention as a tool that directly improves corporate competitiveness. Furthermore, in large corporations, faced with large volumes of work, the implementation of generative AI is increasingly expected to contribute to cost reduction and resource optimization.
However, according to Microsoft’s 2024 Work Trend Index Annual Report[1], the utilization rate of generative AI among knowledge workers in Japan stands at just 32%, placing Japan last among the 19 countries surveyed. This raises the question: Why is the implementation of generative AI in Japanese corporations lagging behind that of other nations?

One of the key factors behind this delay, in addition to technical challenges, is believed to be the level of understanding among corporate executives who hold final decision-making authority. Based on this background, Office Chatani, Inc. conducted a survey targeting executives of large corporations with over 1,000 employees regarding "the state of generative AI implementation and AI literacy among executives in large corporations".
References:
[1]. https://assets-c4akfrf5b4d3f4b7.z01.azurefd.net/assets/2024/05/2024_Work_Trend_Index_
Annual_Report_6_7_24_666b2e2fafceb.pdf

<Survey Summary>
It was confirmed that over 80% of corporations with more than 1,000 employees have either already utilized generative AI in their business operations or are currently considering its implementation.
A certain degree of correlation was observed between executives’ level of understanding of generative AI and the actual state of its implementation in their business operations.
It was revealed that key success factors for implementation of generative AI include the compatibility with existing internal systems and the proactive engagement of both frontline staffs and executives.
The top three methods for learning and gathering information on generative AI were: first, "hands-on learning through the use of generative AI tools"; second, "receiving information from internal IT/DX departments or specialized teams"; and third, "obtaining insights from AI experts and consultants".
Among corporations considering generative AI implementation, key barriers included concerns over security and privacy, lack of clarity regarding internal AI utilization cases and scope, and a shortage of personnel with AI expertise.
The main reasons cited by corporations not considering generative AI implementation were "no current business necessity" and "unclear benefits or effectiveness".

<Survey Overview>
Survey Period: February 7-10, 2025
Survey Method: Online survey
Survey Target: Executives of corporations with over 1,000 employees (men and women in their 20s and older)
Number of Respondents: 117 respondents
Survey Panel Provider: RC Research Data

It was confirmed that over 80% of corporations with more than 1,000 employees have either already utilized generative AI in their business operations or are currently considering its implementation.
As a first point of inquiry, respondents were asked about the "current status of generative AI implementation". The results showed that 53.0% of respondents have "already implemented generative AI", followed by 30.8% respondents who are "considering generative AI implementation", and 16.2% respondents who have "no plans to implement generative AI". (Pic 1)These findings indicate that over 80% of corporations with more than 1,000 employees have either already implemented generative AI or are currently considering its implementation.

A certain degree of correlation was observed between executives’ level of understanding of generative AI and the actual state of its implementation in their business operations.

Next, when respondents were asked about their level of understanding of generative AI, among those who responded having "already implemented generative AI", the results showed that the most common response was "moderate understanding" (46.8%), followed by "strong understanding" (43.5%).(Pic 2) In contrast, among executives whose corporations currently "considering generative AI implementation", the top response was "moderate understanding" (86.1%), followed by "little understanding" (8.3%), and a decline in percentage of "strong understanding". (Pic 3)
For executives whose corporations had "no plans to implement generative AI", the top response was "little understanding" (31.6%), followed by "moderate understanding" and "no understanding at all" both at 26.3%. (Pic 4)These findings suggest a certain degree of correlation between the executives’ level of understanding of generative AI and its state of implementation in their business operations.

It was revealed that key factors for successful implementation of generative AI include compatibility with existing internal systems and the proactive engagement of both frontline staffs and executives.

Next, executives who responded that their corporations had already implemented generative AI were asked to "identify the most important factor behind successful generative AI implementation in their corporations". The top response was the "smooth integration and cooperation with existing systems" (22.6%), followed by "voluntary utilization driven by business divisions and frontline staffs" (19.4%), and "executives played an active role in promoting AI implementation" (17.7%). (Pic 5)These findings revealed that the compatibility with exisiting systems and the proactive engagement of both frontline staffs and executives are key factors for successful implementation of generative AI.

The top three methods for learning and gathering information on generative AI were: first, "hands-on learning through the use of generative AI tools"; second, "receiving information from internal IT/DX departments or specialized teams"; and third, "obtaining insights from AI experts and consultants".

In addition, when asked about their "methods for learning and gathering information on generative AI", executives who had already implemented the generative AI most commonly responded "hands-on learning through the use of generative AI tools” (41.9%), followed by “receiving information from internal IT/DX departments or specialized teams” (40.3%), and “obtaining insights from AI experts and consultants” (27.4%).(Pic 6) These findings suggest that many executives are actively learning by directly trying generative AI tools, while also gathering information from both internal and external experts.

Among corporations considering generative AI implementation, key barriers included concerns over security and privacy, lack of clarity regarding internal AI utilization cases and scope, and a shortage of personnel with AI expertise.

Subsequently, when executives considering generative AI implementation were asked about "the barriers to generative AI implementation and utilization", the top concern was “security and privacy risks” (41.7%), followed by a tie between “lack of clarity regarding internal AI utilization cases and scope” and “shortage of personnel with AI expertise” (both at 38.9%).(Pic7) These findings highlight not only the strong concern over data protection, but also the barriers posed by the lack of clarity regarding internal AI utilization cases and scope, and a shortage of personnel with AI expertise.

The main reasons cited by corporations not considering generative AI implementation were "no current business necessity" and "unclear benefits or effectiveness".

In the final part of the survey, executives who responded that they have "no plans to implement generative AI" were asked about the reasons behind their decision. The top responses, both at 36.8%, were “no current business necessity” and “unclear benefits or effectiveness.” Ranked third was “concerns about security and privacy” (21.1%). (Pic 8) These findings suggest that, more than security and privacy concerns, the lack of perceived necessity and the difficulty in identifying concrete business value are the primary factors hindering consideration of generative AI implementation.

Summary

The findings from this survey reveal that over 80% of large corporations with more than 1,000 employees have either already implemented generative AI in their business operations or are currently considering its implementation. In addition, a certain degree of correlation was observed between executives’ level of understanding of generative AI and the actual state of its implementation in their business operations.

Among corporations that have already implemented generative AI, the importance of the compatibility with existing internal systems and the proactive engagement of both frontline staffs and executives were highlighted as the key success factors. In terms of learning and gathering information, the top three methods cited by executives were: "hands-on learning through the use of generative AI tools", "receiving information from internal IT/DX departments or specialized teams", and "obtaining insights from external AI experts or consultants".

In contrast, among corporations considering generative AI implementation, concerns over security and privacy, lack of clarity regarding internal AI utilization cases and scope, and a shortage of personnel with AI expertise were indicated as implementation barriers. In addition, corporations not considering generative AI implementation at this time pointed to "no current business necessity" and "unclear benefits or effectiveness" as main reasons for not considering implementation.

Office Chatani, Inc., through its "management support services", delivers the latest trends and insights in generative AI as an external expert and consultant, drawing on the extensive knowledge and experience of CEO Masayuki Chatani in digital business, AI product development, and platform building. Furthermore, Office Chatani, Inc. also offers consulting services to support the optimization of generative AI utilization tailored to your business operations.

Survey Conducting Company
【Office Chatani, Inc.】
Address: Tokyo, Japan
CEO: Masayuki Chatani
Business Scope: Creative management support, lectures, writing, and more
URL: https://www.office-chatani.com

At Office Chatani, Inc., we support "creative" management.

The company is led by CEO Masayuki Chatani, the author of “The Age of Creators” and “Behind the Scenes at PlayStation: Former CTO Talks about 16 Years of Creation”, who previously served as CTO and EVP of a global video game platform business, Executive Officer at an internet conglomerate, digital group company CEO within a professional services firm, and Japan head of the digital team at a global strategy consulting firm.

Masayuki Chatani
Office Chatani, Inc.
contact01@office-chatani.com