83% Indian professionals trust peers over AI in decisions: LinkedIn survey

A LinkedIn survey shows Indian professionals value intuition and trusted peers over AI for key decisions, even as AI adoption grows across tasks, skills, and career priorities

Though artificial intelligence (AI) is fast gaining acceptance in the workplace, when it comes to big decisions, nothing replaces human judgement. Almost 83 per cent of Indian professionals believe intuition and trusted peers still outweigh AI when making decisions, according to new research from LinkedIn, the largest professional network.

 

This comes at a time when 76 per cent say the pace of decision-making at work has accelerated, and 72 per cent feel mastering AI is essential for their next career move.

 

Indian professionals are using AI to move faster on everyday tasks, not to outsource judgement. LinkedIn research shows that 75 per cent find AI most useful for writing and drafting, not for actual decision-making. When choices get complex, 76 per cent say colleagues and managers help them decide faster and with more confidence, and 83 per cent of executives agree good business decisions still depend on human judgement.

 

Reflecting this human pull, LinkedIn saw growth of more than 30 per cent in comments this financial year as people leaned on peers for perspective. 

 

LinkedIn Career Expert and India Senior Managing Editor, Nirajita Banerjee, said: “AI is a brilliant copilot, but it’s not a crutch. It can draft, sort, and surface options at speed, but know that careers still move on the strength of your judgement, your relationships, and your story. In moments that matter, people don’t call a tool, they call a person they trust. So, build those meaningful connections, use AI to free up time for the human work only you can do. And when you can’t do it all, lean on your trusted people.”

 

The research also found that rising expectations are unmistakable. About 67 per cent say they are overwhelmed by how quickly they are expected to “get” AI, and 61 per cent admit they are not using it to its full potential.

 

Leaders are also raising the bar, with 73 per cent of companies expecting employees to use AI, and 64 per cent of executives planning to factor AI proficiency into performance reviews or hiring. As a result, learning new AI skills now feels like a second job for 75 per cent of Indian professionals. Still, a strong majority (78 per cent) are optimistic about AI improving their daily work life.

 

Despite rising pressure and expectations, more than four in five (81 per cent) say it is fun to experiment with AI and see it as a chance to test and learn new things every day. Nearly eight in 10 (79 per cent) are teaching themselves with free resources, 73 per cent are paying for courses out of pocket, and 78 per cent are actively looking for better tools and content to learn.