Consumers across Asia Pacific (APAC) are facing an artificial intelligence (AI) paradox: where the technology is embraced for productivity and efficiency, but fears around privacy risks, fraud, and employment impact hinder widespread trust, F5 said in a new study conducted with Twimbit.

The multicloud application security and delivery company said in its latest report on Wednesday that AI awareness is high across all markets, with familiarity exceeding 89 percent and surpassing 90 percent in most regions.

China leads at 98 percent, driven by aggressive adoption strategies and deep technological integration.

While 73 percent of consumers report increased personal productivity with AI, the professional landscape shows much lower gains, with 52 percent reporting no noticeable change in workplace efficiency.

However, the report revealed that AI delivers the greatest productivity gains with consistent use — 46.2 percent of professionals who use AI daily report significant improvements, highlighting the power of continuous interaction.

Organizations must bridge this gap through better AI integration, training, and workflow design.

Meanwhile, APAC has become a hotspot for fraud, with fraud rates having spiked significantly in Singapore (+207 percent), Thailand (+206 percent), and Indonesia (+201 percent) in 2024.

In particular, AI-driven fraud is weakening consumer trust across the region; APAC saw a 194 percent increase in deepfake fraud and a 121% increase in identity fraud in 2024.

As AI adoption grows, organizations must navigate the challenge of implementing robust security measures to build consumer trust while scaling AI solutions responsibly.

In APAC, concerns about losing one’s job to automation are hindering consumers’ acceptance of AI in the workplace.

However, concerns about AI-driven job losses differ markedly across the region.

India and Singapore show the highest levels of concern, with 97 percent of consumers in both markets being slightly to very concerned about AI displacing their jobs.

This is in contrast with Japan, where attitudes are much more relaxed — only 57 percent of Japanese consumers are slightly concerned, and 30 percent are not concerned at all.

The report also showed APAC consumers recognize the efficiency gains that AI brings, with nearly half of consumers preferring AI for efficiency-driven tasks like customer support (47.9 percent) and personal shopping (45.6 percent).

APAC consumers also have confidence in AI-powered insights, turning to AI for data-driven decisions in healthcare (40.1 percent) and financial advice (39.2 percent).

However, AI falls short when it comes to emotional and sensory experiences; APAC consumers still prefer human interaction in food preparation (32.2 percent) and emotional support (26.6 percent), where empathy and personal touch matter.

It is noted that AI’s rapid surge brings a pressing challenge—the need to balance innovation with AI’s growing energy demands.

Growing AI adoption is projected to cause APAC’s data center capacity to more than double by 2028.

As such, majority of APAC consumers (53.8 percent) believe that while AI’s advantages are undeniable, efforts must be made to reduce its resource consumption.

APAC organizations need to ensure that AI evolves responsibly, highlighting the region’s growing need for energy-efficient AI models, sustainable computing infrastructure, and greener data centers.

Overall, the research identified five key paradoxes influencing consumer trust in AI across nine APAC countries.

Firstly, consumers are excited about AI’s potential but demand transparency and governance to feel in control of their data and experiences.

Secondly, despite high levels of tech adoption, consumers remain skeptical about AI’s reliability and ethical implications.

Thirdly, while AI promises increased efficiency, anxieties about job displacement are prevalent.

Fourthly, consumers recognize AI’s innovative potential but are concerned about its environmental impact.

Fifthly, consumers expect organizations to adopt AI responsibly, prioritizing fairness, security, and accountability.

“This research highlights a clear gap in trust when it comes to AI adoption in APAC,

“Consumers recognize AI’s benefits but remain cautious about security risks, ethical use, and its long-term impact on jobs and society,” said Mohan Veloo, Chief Technology Officer for APCJ at F5.

According to him, organizations must proactively address these concerns by embedding transparency, governance, and security into every AI-driven experience.

“Without trust, AI adoption will stall, limiting its potential to drive innovation and efficiency,” he added.

The study also revealed a disconnect between personal and professional AI experiences.

While many individuals experience productivity gains from AI in their personal lives, these benefits are not being fully realized in the workplace.

This suggests a need for organizations to focus on better integrating AI into workflows and providing employees with the training and resources they need to use AI effectively in their jobs.

“For AI to deliver real business value, organizations must ensure it is seamlessly integrated into their digital infrastructure while maintaining security and performance at scale,” said Veloo.

Manoj Menon, Founder and Chief Executive Officer at Twimbit, said this research makes it clear that consumers want the best of both worlds.

“They embrace AI for its efficiency and speed in transactional interactions, but still value human touch for emotional connections and complex decisions,” he said.

He also noted that organizations that succeed in the AI era will be those that strategically blend AI capabilities with human expertise—creating experiences that are both efficient and empathetic.

“By addressing security concerns, building transparent AI systems, and finding the right balance between automation and human connection, businesses can build the trust necessary to fully realize AI’s transformative potential across APAC,” he added.

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