The adoption of generative AI (GenAI) is being driven by everyday users who are experimenting at the forefront and leading this revolution. These are young employees and students whom we’ve dubbed “Generation AI”.

Generation AI describes children and young adults who have experienced AI in various aspects of their lives, from entertainment and education to health care and daily interactions since early childhood. As such, they’re characterised by their digital fluency and ability to navigate and use AI technologies.

This latest analysis of more than 11,900 surveyed individuals across 13 Asia Pacific economies highlights the role of younger employees in driving GenAI adoption, presenting new challenges and opportunities for employers as they adapt to these changes.

Key findings

The study identified six key insights highlighting the transformative impact of GenAI on Asia Pacific, underscoring the need for businesses to adapt to this rapidly evolving technology:

1. Students and employees are leading the GenAI revolution across Asia Pacific, but only half believe their manager knows they’re using it.
2. Developing economies are leading the charge with GenAI adoption, with takeup rates 30% higher than developed economies.
3. Over 11 billion work hours per week across Asia Pacific are expected to be impacted by GenAI.
4. Using GenAI saves each user almost a day per week and frees up time to learn new skills.
5. GenAI increases the level of satisfaction at work and study.
6. Nearly three quarters of businesses are falling behind on GenAI adoption according to their own employees.

Southeast Asia ranks 2nd out of 9 locations for GenAI use

GenAI use is widespread in Southeast Asia. Among the five geographies included in this study – namely Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Thailand, and Vietnam – 90% of students and 72% of employees have used GenAI, and the percentage of GenAI daily users is expected to increase by 232% in the next five years.

Those who are incorporating GenAI into their work routine are seeing benefits such as increased speed at completing tasks, improved quality of outputs or work tasks, and increased ability to generate new ideas. On average, GenAI saves daily users an average of 6.0 hours at work and 5.3 hours at university.

65% of Southeast Asian employees believe their tasks will be automated or augmented within the next five years, and 60% of them believe that their business is taking full advantage of GenAI. Top three barriers to business adoption include insufficient understanding of the technology, a lack of talent, and concerns about risk.

Overall, 77% of Southeast Asians think that GenAI will enhance social outcomes, and 69% believe GenAI will mean Asia Pacific has a greater role in the global economy.

Singapore ranks 4th out of 9 locations for GenAI use

GenAI use is widespread in Singapore. 86% of students and 67% of employees have used GenAI, and the percentage of GenAI daily users is expected to increase by 203% in the next five years.

Those who are incorporating GenAI into their work routine are seeing benefits such as increased speed at completing tasks, increased ability to generate new ideas, and improved quality of outputs or work tasks. On average, GenAI saves daily users an average of 4.4 hours at work and 4.5 hours at university.

64% of Singaporean employees believe their tasks will be automated or augmented within the next five years. However, only 47% of them believe that their business is taking full advantage of GenAI. Top three barriers to business adoption include a lack of talent, concerns about risk, and insufficient understanding of the technology.

Overall, 64% of Singaporeans think that GenAI will enhance social outcomes, and 60% believe GenAI will mean Asia Pacific has a greater role in the global economy.