Singapore – Organisations across Asia Pacific and Japan (APJ) are increasingly prioritising governance, visibility and trust as artificial intelligence becomes more deeply integrated into business operations, according to new research from Okta.
The findings come from the company’s AI Agents at Work 2026 report, which examined how organisations are managing the growing use of AI tools and AI agents across applications, workflows and enterprise data environments.
According to the report, 89% of executives globally said they are confident they have visibility into AI usage across their organisations. However, 52% of employees reported using AI tools without explicit approval from IT or security teams, highlighting a gap between executive perceptions and employee behavior.
The research suggests that organisations are entering a new phase of AI adoption, shifting their focus from experimentation and productivity gains toward governance, accountability and operational oversight.
Security concerns also featured prominently in the findings. Globally, 58% of organisations reported experiencing an AI-related security incident or close call during the past 12 months. In Japan, workers expressed the highest level of concern about AI security and privacy implications worldwide, with 64% reporting concerns about using AI tools at work. Meanwhile, 65% of organisations in Japan said they had experienced an AI-related security incident or near miss over the same period.
The report also found that 88% of executives expect spending on AI security to increase over the next year as organisations seek to strengthen oversight of AI deployments.
Stephanie Barnett, Vice President of Presales for Asia Pacific and Japan at Okta, said organisations across the region are moving from pilot projects to broader operational use of AI.
“AI is creating significant opportunities for organisations across APJ, and many are now moving beyond experimentation into broader operational use,” said Barnett.
“What we’re seeing across the region is a growing focus on visibility, trust and understanding how AI systems are interacting with business applications, workflows and data.”
“As AI adoption accelerates, organisations need stronger visibility and governance across both human and non-human identities. Identity is becoming increasingly important to how organisations maintain trust and control as AI becomes more embedded into everyday business operations.”
The report forms part of Okta’s broader efforts around identity management and security as organisations adapt to increasingly complex AI-driven environments.
