AI, Trust and Compliance: What ASEAN IT Leaders Need to Know

As digital technologies advance at an extraordinary pace, new frontiers for innovation are being unlocked across a range of industries. At the heart of this growth are IT leaders, who are stepping up with new vision, thinking and strategic insights as they work to shape the future of business on a global scale. 

They’re embracing the potential for AI to help them navigate evolving compliance needs, while working to stay ahead of emerging threats to cybersecurity.

To better understand how organisations around the world are responding to the speed at which technology is moving, we surveyed more than 4,000 IT decision makers, including 588 in Asia Pacific for our latest State of IT: Security Report.

The results offer timely, actionable insights for ASEAN. From how AI agents are being used to enhance security, to how trust is becoming a business-critical priority, we’re breaking down the report’s key findings through an ASEAN lens.

ASEAN in the agentic AI era: a snapshot

Across ASEAN, businesses are embracing AI to drive transformation.

Globally, there’s an increasing enthusiasm for adopting new digital technologies. While many businesses acknowledge they’re still building confidence in navigating complex regulatory landscapes, particularly around cybersecurity and AI, this awareness signals readiness to take the next step toward more secure and responsible innovation.

According to our report, 80% of global IT leaders agree that AI agents will help create new security opportunities.

At the same time, 79% of IT specialists emphasise that to fully realise these benefits and stay protected against emerging cyber threats introduced by AI and other digital technologies, timely action is essential.

This suggests that businesses eager to turn these challenges into longer-term advantages can do so by strengthening cybersecurity governance, implementing more robust risk strategies, and deepening their understanding of ethical AI deployment.

For ASEAN IT leaders, the report’s findings point to both opportunity and urgency. Agentic AI can enhance threat detection and automation, but it also raises challenges in data privacy, model transparency and algorithmic bias. 

Navigating this shift requires more than tech upgrades; it calls for clear governance, proactive risk strategies, and a commitment to ethical AI deployment and practices.

Evolving threats and growing security priorities

Additionally, the findings revealed that while AI is driving innovation, there’s also a concern that it’s changing the security landscape. 

The report indicated concerns from specialists around AI adoption, which suggested that as uptake increases, IT and digital security leaders across the world are bracing for new and more sophisticated risks with data breaches, privacy concerns, and data poisoning identified as the most concerning threats.

At the same time, there’s ‌tremendous excitement and anticipation in IT and security around the opportunity AI presents when it comes to improving and solving existing and yet-to-be-determined security concerns. 

Right now, just over half (52%) of IT security leaders say they feel confident deploying AI agents in line with existing regulations and standards. But as AI continues to play a larger role in threat detection and response, both confidence and adoption are increasing. 

Globally, 75% of businesses believe AI-driven cyber threats are on track to outpace traditional defenses. Yet there’s a strong sense of optimism: 83% of respondents said integrating AI into their security strategies will strengthen their ability to stay ahead of evolving risks.To do this, many organisations are planning to adopt new technologies into their Development, Security and Operations (DevSecOps) — these are digital practices that integrate security into every stage of the software development lifecycle rather than at the end — within the next two years.

Bolstering this was a unanimous agreement among survey respondents, with 100% agreeing that by strengthening digital security with AI technologies, businesses will see at least one core security concern alleviated or resolved.

Forward-thinking organisations are already taking action. Many are embedding DevSecOps practices and increasing their use of AI agents, from improved threat detection to advanced auditing of AI model performance. Nearly three-quarters (74%) expect to use AI agents within two years, up from 45% today.

For ASEAN IT leaders, AI presents new opportunities to enhance and improve many aspects of cybersecurity.  While it might introduce considerations around data privacy and bias, its potential to enhance threat detection, automate response, and strengthen overall resilience is exciting. 

By putting in place comprehensive governance, proactive risk management and transparent AI processes, ASEAN businesses can confidently harness AI and new digital technologies to drive digital security to new and improved levels.

Trust as a business imperative in the age of AI

Trust is no longer just a value, it’s a business requirement. As AI becomes more embedded in daily interactions, the pressure is on for businesses to protect data and ensure ethical use.

According to findings from our report, 64% of customers believe companies are being reckless with their data and only 42% say they trust businesses to use AI ethically. 

In Asia Pacific, 62% of security leaders report that customers remain cautious about AI adoption, with data security and privacy top of mind. At the same time, they also point to a powerful opportunity: people want to trust AI and the businesses that use it.

In fact, 61% of customers say AI advancements make data protection more important than ever. They’re calling on businesses to step up and safeguard their information.

Transparency plays a central role in earning that trust. Our research found that 73% of consumers want to know when they’re interacting with AI — a clear signal that honesty and openness matter.

Organisations that lead with transparency, prioritise “explainability” in their work, and embed ethical practices are well-positioned to earn and maintain that trust.

Building trust in AI systems is set to become a defining factor in the customer experience. In ASEAN, where digital services are expanding rapidly, companies that champion transparency and AI ethics won’t just meet expectations, they’ll set the standard for the region.

So, what should ASEAN businesses do?

Based on key insights drawn from the State of IT: Security Report, here are some key priorities for ASEAN IT leaders to consider:

1. Strengthen AI security: Increasing budgets and ongoing investment in AI infrastructure security will help effectively mitigate rising threats such as ransomware, data poisoning and advanced cyber-attacks.
2. Be AI-proactive: To keep up with increasingly complex AI-specific governance models, align your internal processes with evolving compliance regulations, safeguarding both your business operations and customer or client data.
3. Make trust a top priority: In business, trust is key. To earn and maintain customer confidence, you need to ensure the systems you build are data-led and transparent. By embedding “explainability” and data transparency into your core customer and product strategies, you can sustain long-term trust.

In summary, ASEAN businesses that choose to act now by embedding trust, governance and AI readiness into their DevSecOps and security processes will be the leaders in the next wave of digital growth, championing AI technologies today and into the future.

Eager to learn more?

Read the full State of IT: Security Report where you can dive deeper into expert insights, discover how they’re preparing for AI, maintaining data transparency and trust, while at the same time navigating the complexities around cybersecurity and risk associated with AI.

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