Sentiments about AI governance maturity, staff AI skills gaps, managing AI supply chains, were some of the issues explored

Based on a survey of around 900 senior leaders across 13 Asia Pacific geographies, including Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam, on AI governance trends, a professional-services consultancy and audit firm has announced some qualitative findings and recommendations from the data.

First, among the geographies in South-east Asia covered in the survey, security vulnerabilities, including cyber or hacking risks, were most commonly cited as top concerns associated with the risk of using AI. Other top concerns also included those pertaining to privacy, such as confidential or personal data breaches and the invasion of privacy due to pervasive surveillance.  

Second, the data indicates it is essential for senior leaders to ensure the trustworthy development of AI solutions to reduce risks and produce better results. The firm’s preexisting seven recommendations for Responsible AI are cited here: Solutions must be transparent and explainable; fair and impartial; robust and reliable; respectful of privacy; safe and secure; responsible; and accountable. This framework and criteria should be applied to AI solutions from ideation through to design, development, procurement, and deployment.

Other findings/recommendations

Third, respondents from the region mature AI governance frameworks showed (in the overall data) a 28% increase in staff using AI solutions, and they would have deployed AI in three additional areas of the business compared to those in less AI-mature organizations. These respondents indicated a near-5% higher revenue growth compared to those with less established governance. Also:

  • Given the firm’s earlier reports asserting that the rapid pace of AI adoption is driven by employees, who often outpace their leaders, it appears that human judgement and action (or reaction) had still played a critical role in successful AI governance for now.
  • Employees can have valuable insights about the functionality and potential risks related to using AI solutions. However, less than two-thirds of respondents deemed to represent South-east Asia had indicated a belief that employees in their organizations had the required level of skills and capabilities to use AI solutions responsibly.

Putting itself as a global consultancy, the firm offers recommendations:

  • ✓ Prioritize AI governance to realise returns from AI
  • ✓ Understand and leverage the broader AI supply chain
  • ✓ Build risk managers, not risk avoiders
  • ✓ Communicate and ensure AI transformation readiness across the business

According to Dr Elea Wurth, Lead Partner (Trustworthy AI Strategy, Risk & Transactions), Deloitte Asia Pacific and Australia, the consultancy issuing its survey findings: “Effective AI governance is not just a compliance issue; it is essential for unlocking the full potential of AI technologies. Our findings reveal that organizations with robust governance frameworks are not only better equipped to manage risks but also experience greater trust in their AI outputs, increased operational efficiency and ultimately greater value and scale.”