Asia Pacific faces trust gap as AI adoption outpaces governance

Almost half of organisations in Asia Pacific are experiencing a disconnect between their confidence in artificial intelligence and the actual trustworthiness of these systems, according to new findings from a global research survey conducted by IDC and commissioned by SAS.

Generative AI trust

IT and business leaders across the region reported higher levels of trust in generative AI than other types of artificial intelligence. Generative AI's humanlike interactions appear to create a perception of trust regardless of its reliability or accuracy. This sentiment is echoed throughout Asia Pacific, despite ongoing concerns about the effectiveness of governance around AI deployment.

"Our research shows a contradiction: that forms of AI with humanlike interactivity and social familiarity seem to encourage the greatest trust, regardless of actual reliability or accuracy," said Kathy Lange, Research Director of the AI and Automation Practise, IDC.

Trust gap quantified

The so-called "trust dilemma" is present in 47% of Asia Pacific organisations surveyed, exceeding the global average of 46%. Respondents from Singapore, Malaysia, and Thailand rated AI trustworthiness at 2.93 out of five, compared to an AI impact score of 3.30. Australia and New Zealand showed the highest correlation between trust and reported business impact in the region, scoring 3.01 for trust and 3.53 for impact, respectively.

Lagging governance

Rapid adoption of generative and agentic AI has seen Asia Pacific outpace other global regions in deployment speed, particularly in sectors such as banking, insurance, and government. However, the report found that processes relating to governance, explainability, and management of data maturity are failing to keep up with the pace of AI uptake. In the banking sector, more than 60% of respondents indicated product innovation and process efficiency as main motivations for AI use, while 44% acknowledged that their organisation's data governance remained underdeveloped.

The survey identified operational barriers to trustworthy AI, including non-optimised cloud data environments (49%) and a shortage of AI-skilled professionals (41%).

Business impact

The research highlights a link between trustworthiness in AI and the scale of positive business results achieved. Organisations classified as high in AI trust consistently deliver greater commercial impact. In contrast, those using less robust systems risk inefficiencies and may encounter regulatory compliance gaps, particularly in tightly regulated industries.

"Asia Pacific has emerged as one of the most dynamic AI markets globally, but speed without trust is a risk we can't afford," said Luca Spinelli, Managing Director ASEAN, SAS. "Our research shows that the most advanced organisations-those that embed data governance, model transparency, and ethical AI practices-are the ones achieving the highest returns."

"For Asia's financial institutions, trustworthy AI will define competitive differentiation," added Spinelli. "Establishing solid governance frameworks isn't just compliance-it's the foundation for innovation, resilience, and customer trust."

Survey methodology

The global study compiled responses from 2,375 participants, including a balanced mix of IT professionals and business leaders, spanning regions such as North America, Latin America, Europe, the Middle East, Africa, and Asia Pacific. New benchmarks introduced include the AI Trustworthy Index and the AI Impact Index, developed to gauge governance maturity and return on investment among enterprises.