South-east Asia Leaps Ahead in AI Adoption
A recent Microsoft Work Trend Index survey reveals that workers in South-east Asia are more receptive to incorporating artificial intelligence tools into their workflow compared to global peers.
The survey found that 73% of AI users in South-east Asia reported being able to produce work that they otherwise could not have done a year ago, which is 15 percentage points higher than the global average of 58%
South-east Asia also has a higher proportion of 'frontier professionals' - the most advanced users of AI - with 28% of workers in this category compared to the global average of 16%. These are individuals who use AI agents to complete complex or multi-step work, redesign workflows, and participate in structured AI-enabled practices.
Microsoft's managing director for Singapore, Chia Wee Luen, attributes the region's openness to AI adoption to its 'mobile-first' population, which views AI as a tool to acquire new skills. However, he warns of potential risks if organisations do not keep up with employees' desire to use AI tools, citing the possibility of 'shadow AI', where employees start using non-authorised tools that could increase information and intellectual property leakage.