Executives and engineers in the global technology industry are optimistic about artificial intelligence (AI) and sustainable development in a broader sense. But they are still unsure about the best path forward for AI and sustainability in their organizations.

FC-QPP-0002 These insights come from the 2024 Industry Technology Index from TE Connectivity (” TE “), a global industry technology leader in connectivity and sensing. TE surveyed 1,000 respondents from a variety of industries in China, Germany, India, Japan and the United States. Based on the findings, TE released its second annual report on the state of exploring innovation.

TE CEO Terrence Curtin said: “TE has invested significant resources in sustainability and AI, and we know that other companies have as well. We wanted to explore how these two trends affect the process of innovation, and how innovation in turn drives both forward. “We found that both the managers who set the company’s goals and the engineers responsible for achieving those goals still had to work together to reach a consensus in order to succeed.”

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The survey results show that executives and engineers are divided when it comes to implementing AI. Three-quarters of executives believe that engineers should be responsible for driving AI implementation; However, 68 percent of engineers want leadership to develop a clearer implementation plan. When asked about short-term plans, 79 percent of engineers and executives expect their companies to increase their investment in AI training over the next three years. Respondents in the Chinese market are particularly optimistic about integrating AI within their enterprise and understand the competitive advantage AI will bring (China -90% vs. Global -70%). At the same time, however, Chinese engineers are also more concerned about whether their companies can use AI responsibly (China -48% vs. Globally -33%).

FC-QPP-0002 In response to questions about the company’s sustainability practices, most engineers expressed a strong passion for the environment. 87% of engineers believe it is personally important for them to support solutions to climate change at work. This sentiment is deeply felt among engineers: 34% said they would leave their jobs if their organization did not provide opportunities to support sustainability initiatives. The survey data suggest that executives need to do more to instill confidence in the engineer community. When asked if they are satisfied with their company’s sustainability plans, executives are five percentage points more satisfied than engineers.

Focusing on the Chinese market, the research shows that sustainable development is very important for Chinese companies. Chinese respondents are more likely to view sustainability as “extremely important” (China -69% vs. Globally -53%) and believe their companies have integrated sustainability into their corporate culture (China -84% vs. Globally -76%). In addition, the Chinese market also has the highest level of approval for the statement that the company provides a clear sustainable development goal or implementation framework for its employees (China -73% vs. Globally -61%).