Study: Brands in APAC lead in global gen AI rollout

Almost two in three (65%) Asia-Pacific and Japan (APJ) brands have implemented full or initial AI solutions and pilots, ahead of the US (61%) and Europe (55%).

Within APJ, deployment is highest in Japan (82%), followed by India and Asia both at 72%. This is according to a report titled "Digital trends 2024 Asia Pacific and Japan" by Adobe. 

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That said, there are no formal generative AI adoption strategies that exist. In Asia, 2% of senior executives conceded that there was no formal strategy compared to 30% of practitioners, it said. 

The widest gap, however, lies in Japan where 4% of executives agree compared to 37% of practitioners.

Duncan Egan, vice president, digital experience marketing Asia Pacific and Japan, Adobe said the disconnect can stem from viewing generative AI through a different lens. 

"For some senior executives, adoption can be as simple as signing a vendor contract, while practitioners are likely better acquainted with the realities of having the right data, tools and training," said Egan. 

"However, we expect this disconnect to narrow in 2024, with brands poised to strengthen organisational readiness for generative AI deployment," he added. 

Gen AI in 2024 

In 2024, gen AI integration is the digital initiative most likely to support growth, said the report. As a result, most brands are developing guidelines for responsible use of AI (73%) and aligning a comprehensive AI roadmap with broader business goals (71%). 

At the same time, brands can anticipate significant changes to operating models and organisational structures to support gen AI adoption. 

Across APJ, the majority intend to reorganise teams and functions to accommodate AI usage, which is the highest in Asia (80%) and India (74%). 

Plans to introduce AI leadership roles are also the highest in these regions with India at 78% and Asia at 73%. 

Meanwhile, executives are also prioritising initiatives to help employees upskill and provide clear guardrails for using gen AI. The top-rated initiative is advanced AI skills training for key staff (47%), followed by policies for ethical and secure gen AI usage (45%). 

The study also found that over two-thirds of APJ brands also believe that gen AI will transform data analytics and management more than any other part of the organisation.

These APJ brands also recognise that data capabilities and governance are area cornerstone capabilities, with most planning to increase investment in customer data management in 2024. 

Similarly, a recent study by Capegemini titled "Harnessing the value of Generative AI 2nd edition" found that organisations are embracing gen AI, with 80% of them increasing their investments from 2023, while 20% of organisations are maintaining their investment level, and not one organisation has decreased their investment from last year.

In addition, nearly 24% of organisations have integrated Gen AI into some or most of their operations, an acceleration from 6% last year. 

This increase in Gen AI is witnessed across all sectors.

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