Understanding Asia | The Human Side of AI Adoption in Asia

Across Asia, organizations are investing heavily in artificial intelligence, yet many are discovering that the greatest challenge lies beyond deployment: ensuring that people trust AI, adopt it, and ultimately embrace it. The Ipsos AI Monitor 2026 shows that majorities across APEC markets use AI despite reservations, from 79% in China to 76% in Indonesia and 52% in Australia. In other words, adoption does not necessarily mean acceptance.

At the same time, Asia is not moving in a single direction. China, Indonesia, and South Korea show high levels of enthusiasm for AI, while markets such as Australia and New Zealand remain considerably more cautious. India, Thailand, and Malaysia combine excitement with anxiety. Trust in AI, expectations around authority, concerns about jobs, and willingness to rely on automated decisions vary significantly across markets. What works in one country may not translate directly to another.

For organizations operating across Asia, the next challenge is designing experiences that people trust, understand, and want to use. That means considering how AI affects human agency, emotional reassurance, confidence, and local cultural expectations. In a region as diverse as Asia, cultural attunement becomes a competitive advantage rather than a nice-to-have. This is the idea behind Augmented Cognition: bringing human psychology into how AI is designed, adopted, and used.

For businesses operating across Asia, this means designing AI experiences that reflect local attitudes toward AI. In highly enthusiastic markets such as China and Indonesia, AI-enabled financial, retail, or customer service experiences may focus on convenience and personalization. In markets such as India and Thailand, where excitement coexists with significant anxiety, the same experiences may require greater explanation, reassurance, and opportunities for human intervention. More cautious markets such as Australia and New Zealand may place greater value on transparency, oversight, and maintaining human judgment in important decisions.

The larger opportunity extends beyond automation toward augmentation: using AI to help people make better decisions, strengthen customer relationships, and enhance human expertise. Organizations that bring human psychology into how AI is designed, adopted, and used will be better positioned to unlock the full value of AI across Asia.

For a deeper look at how people think, feel and decide with AI, check out these resources:

• Read more in Research World, When The AI Gives the Correct Answer But Completely Misses the Point.
• Watch the conversation about empathy, trust and human oversight in AI.
• Read Manuel’s book, Smarter Together: How We Think, Feel and Decide With AI (Cambridge University Press)