Google and Kantar today released a study to understand Gen AI adoption, potential, and impact among people in India, surveying over 8,000 people across 18 cities*. The study underlines the massive headroom for Gen-AI adoption in India, people’s desire to use such tools to excel in life, and how Google Gemini is helping Indians boost their confidence and capabilities.
The study found that while AI excitement is high, it’s still early days for adoption: 60% aren’t familiar with AI, and only 31% have tried any Generative AI tool. The research also showed a strong, innate desire among Indians to improve and excel, with the majority seeking to boost productivity (72%), enhance creativity (77%), and communicate more effectively (73%) in their daily lives.
As per the company, Google is seeing significant positive impact among early adopters: 92% of Gemini users report a boost in confidence, 93% report it has supercharged their productivity, 85% Gemini users in India feel it helps spark their creativity, among other benefits.
Manish Gupta, Senior Director, Google Deepmind said “Gemini represents Google’s most state-of-the-art AI models designed to push boundaries, enabling experiences that were previously unimaginable – for instance, creating video with Veo 2 or having interactive intuitive conversations with Gemini Live. We’re continuing to push the envelope in our goal to build a truly personal, helpful AI assistant for everyone.”
Shekar Khosla, Vice President, Marketing, Google India said “We’re seeing Gemini make a difference in how they feel about their own capabilities, with 92% of Gemini users feeling more confident in their daily lives. Our focus with Gemini has always been to harness Google’s leading innovation to build a truly personal, helpful AI assistant for everyone, and we’re glad to see that come alive in so many meaningful ways across ages, cities, needs, and languages.”
India’s Desire for Growth And Daily Roadblocks
The majority are seeking personal efficiency, with 72% expressing the need to be more productive in their daily lives. While 77% want to be more creative, 73% want to communicate more effectively.
People face hurdles like constant time pressures, frustrating creative blocks, and challenges expressing themselves clearly, impacting confidence and opportunities. Crucially, this desire extends beyond work or school: 76% want to save time on everyday tasks like planning travel or managing budgets, and 84% want to be more creative with everyday tasks like helping kids with homework or trying recipes.
Common roadblocks often prevent progress, such as simply getting started, a struggle for 68%, or lacking necessary skills and guidance, which holds back 52%. These aren’t minor frustrations; they can sometimes have real costs, often stopping people from pursuing goals altogether, with 61% of Indians reporting they abandoned a professional or creative aspiration due to such hurdles.
Beyond these bigger goals, this daily friction also sometimes saps confidence – for instance, 73% worry about how their message or tone comes across – and prevents people from fully pursuing everyday passions, like trying new recipes, where 71% feel blocked, or planning desired travel, which 67% find hindering.