CXOs need to do more to build customer trust in their AI deployments: EY India

• 30% of CXOs say their organizations have fully integrated and scaled AI solutions across the enterprise
• 37% of CXOs struggle to develop AI governance frameworks that keep pace with today’s technologies

New Delhi, 07 August 2025: EY India “Responsible AI Pulse Survey” reveals a gap between how Indian consumers and C-suite executives perceive AI risk. While consumers express risk over job displacement, misinformation and loss of control, 27% of CXOs share these concerns underscoring an urgent need for stronger governance and a deeper engagement with public sentiment.

The survey highlights that 37% of CXOs struggle to develop AI governance frameworks that keep pace with today’s technologies, and 30% believe their current approach to technology risk is inadequate for the next wave of AI. By contrast, consumer respondents are far more uneasy: 68% worry about AI-generated false information being taken seriously, 56% fear significant job losses, and 61% are concerned that AI could spiral beyond human control. Yet 73% of organizations report having AI embedded in key initiatives, suggesting many leaders may be underestimating the social and reputational risks that keep consumers up at night.

“Our survey reveals a widening confidence gap: consumers are deeply uneasy about misinformation, job displacement and unchecked AI, yet a smaller portion of CXOs share those worries,” says Mahesh Makhija, Partner & Technology Consulting Leader, EY India. “Closing this gap starts with embedding robust governance, clear accountability and open dialogue with your customers at every stage of the AI lifecycle.”

That confidence gap extends across all pillars of Responsible AI. Despite these gaps, Indian enterprises are steadily advancing their AI maturity. 30% of CXOs report fully integrated, scaled AI solutions enterprise-wide; 43% say AI is embedded in most initiatives and is being refined to transform operations; and the remaining 27% are aligning AI integration with a strategic roadmap. Notably, none of the surveyed organizations remain at pilot or proof-of-concept stages, signalling a broad shift from experimentation to operationalization and scale.

About Survey Methodology:

From March to April 2025, EY conducted a survey of 975 C-suite leaders that have at least some responsibilities for AI at their organization. These respondents represent organizations with over US$1 billion in annual revenue across all sectors and 21 countries covering the Americas, Asia-Pacific (APAC), and Europe, the Middle East, India and Africa (EMEIA).

Comparisons to the EY AI Sentiment Index Study are used to compare how consumers around the world think about AI. These datapoints are based off a survey of 15,060 people from 15 different countries. 

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