Study: 60% of APAC customers trust organisations that use gen AI

AI serves as a catalyst for consumer trust, with six in 10 consumers in APAC saying they trust organisations the same or even more when generative AI (gen AI) is used. 

In fact, more customers in China (35%) and India (29%) say that the use of gen AI will increase their trust in an organisation, as compared to customers in Singapore (23%) and Australia (19%). 

Conversely, 39% of APAC customers say that the use of gen AI would make them trust an organisation less. This is according to a recent study by Vodafone Business where more than 760 business and 1760 customers were surveyed across Singapore, China, India and Australia. 

Don't miss: Study: 83% of APAC CEOs says Gen AI is a top business priority

Interestingly, 65% of businesses in the region are concerned that the rise of emerging technologies such as AI could erode customer confidence, with the top reason being customer's privacy concerns around personal data (57%).

Despite this, more than half (51%) of APAC companies have adopted Generative AI (Gen AI), with Singapore (59%) exceeding the global average of 45%. 

More APAC businesses are also increasing their investments in technology, with more than 70% of APAC companies raising their budgets for digital transformation. This is up from 60% in 2023. 

While new technologies such as AI have the potential to increase customer trust, the study revealed that a gap in how much customers agree that technology is being used in a way that adds value to them or safeguards their interests. 

85% of APAC businesses believe their use of technology adds value to customer interactions, while only 67% of customers in the region share the same view. 

In Singapore, less than half of customers (45%) feel that companies use technology in a way that inspires trust and confidence, with an even lower percentage in Australia (34%).  By contrast, a majority of customers in China (71%) and India (74%) demonstrate higher level of trust and confidence. 

In tandem, the study also found that lower levels of customer trust in businesses' implementation of robust data privacy and security policies are also seen in Australia (62%) and Singapore (65%). This is compared to China (82%) and India (79%). 

That said, gen AI is among the top three business priorities for 83% of APAC C-suite executives. 

54% said their organisation had a clear and defined Gen AI strategy, while a further 40% said they had started working on a Gen AI strategy for their business. This is according to research by Salesforce where 1243 leaders from large businesses across the APAC region were surveyed. 

The study also revealed that the key motivations driving Gen AI adoption were innovating customer and employee experiences (44%), customer expectations for faster, more personalised experiences (44%) and to boost productivity and efficiency (43%). 

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