Singapore – Almost two in three (65%) APJ brands have fully adopted or are piloting artificial intelligence solutions ahead of their counterparts, according to the latest report by Adobe. This significant finding showed deployment is highest in Japan at 82%, followed by India and Asia, with both of them having 72%.
With this data at hand, brands are expected to adapt organisational structures, skills, and data capabilities for the AI era. More specifically, the majority of brands across APJ plan to reorganise teams and functions to facilitate AI adoption, with Asia leading at 80% and India at 74%.
On the other hand, plans to introduce AI leadership roles are also highest in these regions, such as India at 78% and Asia at 73%.
Executives are also prioritising initiatives to help employees upskill and provide clear guardrails for using generative AI. The highest priority is advanced AI skills training for key staff (47%), followed by policies for ethical and secure generative AI usage (45%).
Findings further revealed that while executives generally feel confident about their generative AI rollouts being on track, many day-to-day users still hold a different view.
In fact, only 4% of executives across APJ have indicated their organisation doesn’t have a formal strategy for generative AI adoption, which is significantly higher among practitioners. The biggest gap is also most notable in Japan, where 4% of executives admit there is no formal strategy compared to 37% of practitioners.
Additionally, the report highlighted generative AI integration as a digital initiative among APJ brands, which is most likely to foster growth in 2024. In response, most brands are creating guidelines for responsible use of AI (73%) and aligning a comprehensive AI roadmap with broader business goals (71%).
Duncan Egan, vice president, digital experience marketing for Asia Pacific and Japan at Adobe, said, “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. However, we expect this disconnect to narrow in 2024, with brands poised to strengthen organisational readiness for generative AI deployment.”
“Generative AI offers a clearer path to unify data, predict customer needs, and deliver more relevant and time-critical content. However, the study shows that despite widespread adoption intentions, only some brands are recalibrating to seize these benefits, putting them ahead in the race for consumer loyalty, conversion, and trust,” Egan also shared.
Simon Dale, vice president of Asia at Adobe, stated, “Asia-Pacific and Japan are at the forefront of generative AI adoption, with brands recognising its transformative potential across their organisations. We’re seeing a strong commitment to restructuring functions and teams, introducing AI leadership roles, and prioritising employee upskilling to fully harness the power of this technology.”
He further noted, “There is also a clear understanding among businesses that generative AI adoption goes hand in hand with matching data capabilities and responsible governance. We anticipate an increase in investments in these areas that will drive innovation and transformation across the region.”
