Companies across the Asia-Pacific (APAC) region are accelerating their adoption of artificial intelligence (AI) to drive productivity and revenue growth, with nine out of ten organisations planning to implement agentic AI models within the next three years, according to a study by Accenture.
However, despite this rapid adoption, most organisations are yet to operationalise responsible AI capabilities essential for scaling AI and unlocking its full potential. The study found that only 1% of organisations are fully prepared to manage AI-related risks, including compliance, privacy and data security.
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The Accenture study assessed organisational and operational maturity as key parameters for responsible AI adoption across global companies. In APAC, 48% of organisations recognise responsible AI as a strategic tool for driving AI-related revenue growth. The region leads in organisational maturity, with 78% of companies reporting progress in this area. However, operational maturity remains low at just 10%.
Compared to other regions, APAC is ahead in terms of collective maturity, with 19% of companies demonstrating progress in both organisational and operational maturity, surpassing the global average of 15%.
The study also noted a fivefold increase in companies planning to make significant investments in responsible AI, rising from 10% to 50% over the next two years. Privacy and data governance were cited as the top AI-related risks by 57% of APAC companies, followed by security concerns, highlighted by 53%.
“As businesses across APAC deal with change and disruption, they recognise that success lies in embracing flexibility and finding new sources of efficiency and growth by using technology. They have increased their investments in AI, but the majority are finding it difficult to extract the right value from this investment,” said Ryoji Sekido, Co-CEO of APAC and CEO of Asia Oceania, Accenture.
“To effectively scale AI, particularly generative and agentic AI, businesses need to invest in building trust among their people and their customers, ensure they have the right data foundation and operationalise responsible AI. That’s the only way of creating long-term, sustainable value,” Sekido added.
Saurabh Kumar Sahu, MD and Lead for India Business at Accenture, emphasised the importance of responsible AI in India’s growing AI ecosystem.
“As businesses in India increasingly embrace AI and generative AI, the importance of responsible AI adoption cannot be overstated.
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