Education Tech Graduate University and Wilson Learning Worldwide announced the results of their joint “Sales Capabilities in the Age of AI Survey 2026.” The proportion of respondents with high levels of both AI adoption and interpersonal sales skills who reported a sense of achievement reached 2.7 times that of other groups.
Education Tech Graduate University, Japan's first fully online professional graduate school specializing in education DX and the management of educational institutions, and Wilson Learning Worldwide Co., Ltd., which provides global talent and organizational development consulting, jointly conducted the “Sales Capabilities in the Age of AI Survey 2026.” The survey is described as Japan's first publicly available study to examine the effects of sales professionals' AI adoption and human capabilities, namely interpersonal sales skills and self-directed growth ability, on results.
The proportion of respondents with high levels of both AI adoption maturity and interpersonal sales skills who reported improved results was 2.7 times that of respondents with low levels of both, at 48.8% versus 17.8%. The combination of interpersonal skills for identifying customers' latent needs and building relationships of trust with AI proficiency was said to maximize the benefits of AI.
The most commonly cited benefit of AI was improved operational efficiency, such as reduced time spent preparing materials and proposals, while an average of only 6.0% cited direct business benefits such as higher order-win rates and higher deal values.
The proportion reporting improved results was significantly higher among those with strong self-directed growth ability than among those with low ability. A tendency to use AI while verifying its output was also observed, leading to the view that differences arising with the spread of AI are created by human capabilities.