The Adoption of Artificial Intelligence in Firms

Annex C. The OECD/BCG/INSEAD survey questionnaire

The text below shows the screening and other questions in the OECD/BCG/INSEAD survey questionnaire. Respondents were first presented with a definition of AI, shown in Annex Box 1.C.1.

Box C.1. What is “artificial intelligence”?

Artificial intelligence (AI) is a system that displays intelligent behaviour by analysing an environment and taking actions, with some degree of autonomy, to achieve specific goals. These systems collect and process data using statistical machine learning to predict, recommend or decide the best action to achieve specific goals. AI-based systems can be purely software or embedded in hardware.

Applications for AI can include (but are not limited to):

• image and video analysis for diagnostics or facial recognition systems based on computer vision or voice recognition systems,

• machine translation, speech-to-text programs, text analytics or chat robots based on natural language processing,

• decision support, forecasting systems, security systems, traffic analysis, fraud detection, recommendation systems, process optimisation or recruitment software based on machine learning,

autonomous drones, self-improving robots for production or warehouse tasks or self-driving vehicles.

Screening questions

How many employees does your enterprise have in total?
Between 10 and 50
Between 51 and 249
Between 250 and 499
Between 500 and 2 500

 

What is the enterprise’s major industry?
Manufacturing machinery
Chemicals
Pharmaceuticals
Automotive: Vehicles, transport equipment and components
Mechanical components
Electrical equipment (including domestic appliances)
Computers, electronics and optical products and parts
Other manufacturing industry – please state
Enterprises engaged in writing, modifying, testing and supporting software
Planning and designing computer systems that integrate computer hardware
Software and communication technologies
Managing and operating clients’ computer systems and/or data processing facilities
Operating or supporting the activities of web search portals
Data processing and hosting activities, and online platforms
None of the above

Does your enterprise use artificial intelligence actively or passively?
No, we do not use artificial intelligence at all
Yes, we use it passively
Yes, we use it actively

 

Does your enterprise use artificial intelligence applications in any of the following ways – either in-house or through contracts with an external service supplier?
	Yes	No
Product design, for instance, to generate new designs autonomously or with limited human supervision
Fabrication and assembly, for instance, using robots and other machine systems that have a high degree of autonomy
Process control and optimisation, for instance, to automatically optimise production processes, perform predictive maintenance, or automatically assist programmers
Detecting defects and anomalies, for instance, to automate visual inspection of products, or to help software developers test and identify defects in code
Supply chain management, for instance, for demand forecasting and scheduling optimisation
Logistics, for instance, for warehouse automation or delivery optimisation
Training or cognitive support for workers, such as systems for enhancing workforce training (using virtual reality) or to support the workforce using augmented reality
Staff recruitment and/or human resource management, such as systems that help to select potential recruits based on analysis of past performance of workers with comparable qualifications
AI to improve research and development, such as machine learning systems to accelerate materials and drug discovery, or experiment with new programming solutions. Such services are often provided by private R&D laboratories.
Customer-facing services, for instance, in pricing decisions, to improve the safety of products that are part of the Internet of Things (IoT), process data from social media to help predict customer behaviour, or to automatically provide users with problem solutions on service desks

Please indicate your job title:
IT Manager
Head of Data Science
AI Project Manager
Chief Information Officer
Chief AI Officer
Chief Analytics Officer
Chief Data Officer
Chief Executive Officer
Other – please specify

In which country is your enterprise located?
Canada
France
Germany
Italy
Japan
United Kingdom
United States
None of the above

Survey questions for enterprises passing the screening section

Question 1.

How important are AI applications to your enterprise’s core business processes?
Critically important
One among a number of important considerations
Of minor importance

Question 2.

In approximately which year was your enterprise incorporated?
1950 or earlier
1950-1960
1960-1970
1970-1980
1980-1990
1990-2000
2000-2010
2010-2020
After 2020

Question 3.

 

In the past 12 months, has your enterprise collected or otherwise acquired data from any of the following sources?
	Yes	No
Data collected internally from processes and staff
Data collected from customers or suppliers
Data from private data providers, such as organisations dedicated to producing and selling data
Data from a partner enterprise
Data from a research institute
Data from the public sector

Question 4.

Does your enterprise use a data management solution, such as a data lake?
Yes
No
We are unfamiliar with these concepts

Question 5.

 

Do any of the following positions exist in your enterprise structure?
	Yes	No	Don’t know
Statistician / Data engineer
Machine learning engineer / AI developer
Data scientist
AI project manager
Data protection officer
AI risk manager / AI ethics officer / Digital trust and safety officer or equivalent
Other position/title with responsibilities for AI
Chief information officer / Chief digital officer or equivalent
Chief AI officer
Chief analytics officer / Chief data officer / Head of data science or equivalent

Question 6.

 

In the past 12 months, have any of the following conditions limited the use of cloud computing in your enterprise?
	Yes	No	Don’t know
High cost of retooling systems
Concerns about corporate compliance
Concerns about customisation of applications
Concerns about network stability
Lack of availability of cloud computing services
Do not see the advantages of cloud computing
Lack of support from top management
Lack of IT skills
The enterprise uses cloud computing without difficulty

Question 7.

 

In the past 12 months, has your enterprise implemented any of the following practices to develop artificial intelligence?
	Yes	No
Training employees
Hiring new staff
R&D on artificial intelligence to use by the enterprise
Purchase of off-the-shelf software or hardware, or through business advisory services such as consultancy
Use of customised systems built by third parties
Created a senior management role or a team with responsibilities for artificial intelligence
Partnership with a national or international enterprise with capacities in artificial intelligence

Question 8.

In the past 12 months, has your enterprise used any of the following services provided by the public sector to support the adoption of artificial intelligence?
	Yes	No
Services that provide access to information or advice
Training services
Services that promote access to finance, such as subsidies or credit guarantees

Question 9.

In the past 12 months, has your enterprise established collaborations to develop artificial intelligence …
	Yes	No
With university faculty members, PhD or postdoctoral students?
With undergraduate students?
With researchers in public research organisations?
With other partners?

Question 10.

 

In the past 12 months, have any of the following obstacles limited your enterprise in implementing artificial intelligence applications?
	Yes	No
Difficulties estimating the returns on investment in AI applications
Concerns related to data privacy, data protection or data security
Scarcity of cloud computing solutions that guarantee data security and regulatory compliance
Lack of clarity about the legal consequences in case of damage caused by the use of AI
Lack of vendors of AI systems offering solutions tailored to your enterprise’s needs
Lack of external finance for investment to support AI adoption
Reluctance of staff to adopt AI
Difficulties to retrain or upskill staff

Question 11.

In the past 12 months, has your enterprise recruited graduates in artificial intelligence, machine learning or related fields?
Yes, we were able to hire for our vacancies
No, we could not hire appropriate candidates
No, because we did not have specific vacancies

Question 12.

In the past 12 months, has your enterprise experienced difficulties in understanding what skill sets to look for in new AI recruits?
Yes
No

Question 13.

 

How would you say the following types of support could be for your enterprise to strengthen staff skills in AI?
	Very useful	Moderately useful	Slightly useful	Not useful at all
Partnerships with educational and vocational institutions
Tax allowances or tax credits for training in AI
Support to develop qualification frameworks for graduates in the field of AI

Question 14.

 

In using AI in your enterprise, how helpful would the following types of services provided by the public sector be?
	Very helpful	Helpful	A little helpful	Not helpful at all
Information on and examples of business use cases in your industry
Information on expected rates of return to investments in AI
Information on available and reliable technology vendors
Information on available and reliable sources of private-sector advice and expertise
Certification or accreditation schemes for AI solution providers
Information on current or forthcoming regulations around data or AI

Question 15.

 

How helpful would you say the following initiatives provided by the public sector could be for the adoption of AI in your enterprise?
	Very helpful	Helpful	A little helpful	Not helpful at all
Investing in university education and vocational training in fields related to AI
Investing in retraining and lifelong learning for employees who work with AI
Improving understanding of AI among government officials
Gathering and publishing administrative public datasets
Promoting a competitive AI vendor market
Upgrading IT infrastructure, such as high-speed broadband

Question 16.

Some uses of AI that involve autonomous systems might be detrimental to clients, potentially exposing businesses to legal jeopardy. Would you favour regulation that helps to overcome such a problem by establishing clear accountability when AI is used?
Yes
No

Question 17.

 

Are any of the following criteria important for your enterprise when developing or using AI applications?
	Strongly agree	Agree	Disagree	Strongly disagree
The protection of customer data and privacy
Making our customers aware of how our AI system(s) are developed, trained and used
Keeping a full record of our AI applications’ predictions, recommendations or decisions

Question 18.

Are you aware that some regulators are considering the following requirements to increase oversight of artificial intelligence applications?
	Yes	No
Certification of the safety of AI systems
Notification for customers when decision making is automated

Question 19.

Approximately what percentage of your enterprise’s total spending (internal and external) on R&D in 2019 was related to artificial intelligence?
The enterprise does not spend on R&D
0%
Between 1 % and 10%
Between 11% and 30%
More than 30%
Cannot discuss