Asian companies are leading the charge when it comes to integrating AI into their operations, this is according to new research from Hitachi Vantara, a subsidiary of Hitachi.
While 37% of companies worldwide say AI is crucial, the number is higher in Asia at 42%. In fact, China and Singapore are leading globally, with 53% and 57% of businesses, respectively, stating AI is critical to their operations. This highlights Asia's shift from just experimenting with AI to fully adopting it.
Source: Hitachi Vantara State of Data Infrastructure Survey (1,200 global respondents: India, China, Singapore, Indonesia, and Malaysia)
But despite the growing reliance on AI, many businesses in Asia still face big data challenges. These AI models are only accurate at an average of 32% of the time, and data is available where and when it's needed just 34% of the time. What's worse, only 30% of the data is structured, meaning, much of it is messy and unrefined.
With data volumes set to rise up 123% in the next two years—these issues will only get harder to manage.
Data security is another concern, with 44% of companies in Asia worried about it, especially in India and Indonesia.
To address these problems, companies are actively investing in AI talent where about 71% of businesses in Asia are hiring people with AI skills, and 68% bring in external experts for help. The companies that are succeeding with AI have found three key things that make a difference: high-quality data (40% of top performers credit this), partnerships with AI experts (39%), and strong governance (45%).
As AI becomes even more important, one thing is for sure-businesses in Asia need to improve their data quality and governance. Focusing on these areas, along with security and effective management, will help ensure AI delivers real, lasting value.