Navigating risks from AI adoption

By Deloitte analysts
Wed, December 25, 2024 | 8:20 am GMT+7

Developing trustworthy AI solutions is essential for senior leaders to successfully navigate the risks of rapid AI adoption and fully embrace and integrate this transformative technology. write Deloitte analysts.

Illustration on the cover of Deloitte's new report named 'AI at a crossroads: Building trust as the path to scale.

Illustration on the cover of Deloitte's new report named "AI at a crossroads: Building trust as the path to scale.

A new report co-developed by Deloitte Access Economics and Deloitte AI Institute reveals critical insights for C-suite and technology leaders on how they can develop effective artificial intelligence (AI) governance amidst accelerating adoption and growing risk managementchallenges.

The report, named "AI at a crossroads: Building trust as the path to scale", is based on a survey of nearly 900 senior leaders across 13 Asia Pacific geographies, including six Southeast Asia geographies – namely, Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines,Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam – whose responses were assessed against Deloitte’s AI Governance Maturity Index to identify what good AI governance looks like in practice.

With investments in AI projected to reach $110 billion by 2028 in the Asia Pacific regionalone, it emphasizes the need for robust governance frameworks to enable businesses to adopt AI more effectively, build customer trust, and create paths to value and scale.

Commenting on the report, Dr. Elea Wurth, lead partner, trustworthy AI strategy, risk & transactions, Deloitte Asia Pacific and Australia, said, “Effective AI governance is not just acompliance issue; it is essential for unlocking the full potential of AI technologies."

Wurth noted that Deloitte’s 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.

Navigating risks from AI adoption

Amongst Southeast Asia geographies 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 include those pertaining to privacy, such as confidential or personal data breaches and the invasion of privacy due to pervasive surveillance.

This is a trend that was especially pronounced for Singapore, with nearly all respondents indicating security vulnerabilities (96%) and privacy breaches (94%) as areas of concern – and tracks closely with the finding that 35% of Singapore respondents also reported an increase in incidents at their organizations in the last financial year, the highest amongst all Southeast Asia geographies.

Chris Lewin, AI & data capability leader, Deloitte Asia Pacific and Southeast Asia, said, “The rapid pace and scale of AI adoption has meant that organizations are encountering AI-related risks in real-time as they experiment and roll out the technology. Given that Southeast Asia and the wider Asia Pacific region are hotbeds for cyberattacks, business leaders are understandably most concerned about security vulnerabilities, which can arise from the AI solutions themselves, the vast amount of data used by these solutions, or a combination of both.

“What we have found, however, is that organizations who have implemented incident responses and remediation plans are less likely to be concerned about such risks. This highlights the critical importance of effective governance to address concerns about AI use."

Building trustworthy AI

Developing trustworthy AI solutions is essential for senior leaders to successfully navigate the risks of rapid AI adoption and fully embrace and integrate this transformative technology.

Deloitte’s Trustworthy AI Framework outlines seven dimensions that are necessary to build trust in AI solutions which are 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.

The survey reveals that across Asia Pacific, organizations with mature AI governance frameworks report a 28% increase in staff using AI solutions, and have deployed AI in three additional areas of the business.

These businesses achieve nearly 5 percentage points higher revenue growth compared to those with less established governance.

Key recommendations from the report include:

- Prioritize AI governance to realize returns from AI

Continuous evaluation of AI governance is required across the organization’s policies, principles, procedures, and controls. This includes monitoring changing regulations for specific locations and industries to remain at the forefront of AI governance standards.

- Understand and leverage the broader AI supply chain

Organizations need to understand their own use of AI as well as interactions with the broader ‘AI supply chain’ − including developers, deployers, regulators, platform providers, end users, and customers − and perform regular audits throughout the AI solution lifecycle.

- Build risk managers, not risk avoiders

Developing employees’ skills and capabilities can help organizations better identify, assess, and manage potential risks, thereby preventing or mitigating issues rather than avoiding them altogether.

- Communicate and ensure AI transformation readiness across the business

Organizations should be transparent about their long-term AI strategy, the associated benefits and risks, and provide training for teams on using AI models while reskilling those whose roles may be affected by AI.

Deloitte Asia Pacific’s consulting businesses leader Rob Hillard said: "The erosion of consumer confidence and damage to brand reputation can have lasting effects, making it essential for businesses to effectively manage AI and cybersecurity. Consumers prefer companies that align AI use with ethical standards like transparency, with 45% of those surveyed believing strong governance enhances their organization's reputation.

"However, our research shows that organizations are tending to overestimate their readiness in terms of AI governance. Urgent action is required by senior leaders to enhance their current AI governance practices to unlock the benefits of AI, as well being prepared for emerging AI regulations which will impact future business success."

Human judgement as fundamental to trustworthy AI

Given that the rapid pace of AI adoption is driven by employees, who often outpace their leaders – a previous Deloitte study on Generation AI 3 found that more than 70% of young employees and students in Southeast Asia have already adopted the use of generative AI – the report also highlights the critical role of human judgement and action (or reaction) in successful AI governance.

Employees – whether they are designing, deploying, or using the AI solutions – have valuable insights about the functionality and potential risks related to using AI solutions. However, fewer than two-thirds of Southeast Asia respondents – and in the case of Singapore, only half (50%) – believe that employees in their organizations have the required level of skills and capabilities to use AI solutions responsibly.

“At its core, good AI governance is required at all stages of the AI solution lifecycle, and should be embedded across technology, processes, as well as talent. Based on our findings, however, the people and skills pillar is an area where organizations consistently score the lowest onaverage," said Chris.

"Training is, of course, a powerful tool to bridge this gap, and we have observed thatmore than three-quarters of Southeast Asia respondents are investing in employee upskilling. The onlyexception is Singapore, where the skills gap is the widest and nearly seven in 10 organizations have needed to close the gap through hiring, possibly due to the market’s demand for highlyspecialised and technical roles,” he added.

Comments (0)
  • Read More
Vietnam telecom giant VNPT posts over $239 mln pre-tax profit in 2024

Vietnam telecom giant VNPT posts over $239 mln pre-tax profit in 2024

State-owned Vietnam Posts and Telecommunications Group (VNPT) reported a consolidated pre-tax profit of VND6.09 trillion ($239.3 million) in 2024, according to its newly released business report.

Companies - Tue, December 24, 2024 | 10:01 pm GMT+7

Vietnam's PVI Insurance achieves historic VND20 trillion revenue milestone in 2024

Vietnam's PVI Insurance achieves historic VND20 trillion revenue milestone in 2024

PVI Insurance has made history as the first and only non-life insurance company in Vietnam to exceed VND20 trillion (roughly $786.2 million) in revenue in 2024.

Southeast Asia - Tue, December 24, 2024 | 9:18 pm GMT+7

Malaysian fund sues Amicorp for allegedly facilitating $7 bln fraud

Malaysian fund sues Amicorp for allegedly facilitating $7 bln fraud

Malaysian state fund 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB) has filed a legal claim against corporate services provider Amicorp Group and its CEO Toine Knipping, alleging it facilitated over $7 billion in fraudulent transactions, the fund said on Monday.

Southeast Asia - Tue, December 24, 2024 | 9:11 pm GMT+7

Vietnam's e-commerce market exceeds $25 bln

Vietnam's e-commerce market exceeds $25 bln

Vietnam's retail e-commerce market is estimated to surpass $25 billion in 2024, marking a 20% increase compared to the previous year, according to the Ministry of Industry and Trade.

Southeast Asia - Tue, December 24, 2024 | 9:06 pm GMT+7

Philippines’ outstanding external debt hits record high

Philippines’ outstanding external debt hits record high

The Philippines’ outstanding external debt stood at $139.64 billion as of end-September, up 17.5% against the same period last year, says its central bank Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP).

Southeast Asia - Tue, December 24, 2024 | 8:59 pm GMT+7

Vietnam ministry to ease direct power purchase agreement rules

Vietnam ministry to ease direct power purchase agreement rules

Vietnam’s Ministry of Industry and Trade is drafting amendments to Decree 80/2024 on direct power purchase agreement (DPPA) mechanism, with easier terms on large consumers.

Energy - Tue, December 24, 2024 | 5:17 pm GMT+7

Operator of iconic market Ben Thanh appoints new general director 

Operator of iconic market Ben Thanh appoints new general director 

Nguyen Viet Ha, chairwoman of Ben Thanh Trading and Service JSC (Ben Thanh TSC), has been appointed the company's new general director, starting from January 1, 2025.

Companies - Tue, December 24, 2024 | 4:34 pm GMT+7

Korea’s confectionery Orion earns $43 mln from Vietnam in Jan-Sept

Korea’s confectionery Orion earns $43 mln from Vietnam in Jan-Sept

South Korean confectionery firm Orion earned an operating profit of VND1,083 billion ($42.6 million) in Vietnam in the first nine months of this year, up 14.8% year-on-year, according to the firm’s financial statements.

Companies - Tue, December 24, 2024 | 4:21 pm GMT+7

UK in the Bloc: CPTPP expansion benefits all parties

UK in the Bloc: CPTPP expansion benefits all parties

With the UK’s new access to CPTPP, the available Vietnam-UK free trade agreement, and the country's strong fundamentals, Vietnam continues to stand out in the region, offering more preferential trade opportunities for its partners across the globe, write Ian Tandy, co-head of global trade solutions, Asia Pacific at HSBC and Surajit Rakshit, head of global trade solutions at HSBC Vietnam.

Consulting - Tue, December 24, 2024 | 3:23 pm GMT+7

Saigon-Hanoi Securities receives certificate of merit from Hanoi chairman

Saigon-Hanoi Securities receives certificate of merit from Hanoi chairman

Saigon-Hanoi Securities JSC (SHS) has been honored with a certificate of merit from Hanoi's Chairman for its outstanding achievements in connecting small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in Hanoi, contributing to the capital’s socio-economic development.

Companies - Tue, December 24, 2024 | 2:17 pm GMT+7

SK Group’s $500 mln project in northern Vietnam records 61% construction completion

SK Group’s $500 mln project in northern Vietnam records 61% construction completion

Ecovance Vietnam Co. Ltd., under South Korea’s chaebol SK, has reached 61% completion for its $500 million factory in Vietnam’s northern coastal city of Hai Phong.

Companies - Tue, December 24, 2024 | 1:49 pm GMT+7

Vietnam Education Publishing House, Chilean Embassy launch translation of children's literature series Papelucho 

Vietnam Education Publishing House, Chilean Embassy launch translation of children's literature series Papelucho 

The diary chronicling Papelucho’s experiences and reflections has resulted in a series of 12 books originally published starting in 1947, with two posthumous books released in 2017.

Companies - Tue, December 24, 2024 | 1:20 pm GMT+7

Investors' wait-and-see approach, legal obstacles slow Vietnam's property market recovery: expert

Investors' wait-and-see approach, legal obstacles slow Vietnam's property market recovery: expert

Multiple factors are delaying the real estate market’s recovery, with the "wait-and-see" mentality of investors being a significant impediment, says Vo Hong Thang, director of consulting & project development at DKRA Group.

Real Estate - Tue, December 24, 2024 | 10:24 am GMT+7

Vietnamese people still hesitant to embrace solar power: association

Vietnamese people still hesitant to embrace solar power: association

Household electricity in Vietnam remains partially subsidized by the government, and low electricity consumption means the benefits of solar power are unclear to many, according to Nguyen Xuan Quy, vice president of the Vietnam Clean Energy Association (VCEA).

Companies - Tue, December 24, 2024 | 9:11 am GMT+7

Cocobay Danang mega project in central Vietnam still at a standstill

Cocobay Danang mega project in central Vietnam still at a standstill

The developer of the Cocobay Danang project in central Vietnam announced plans to resume construction in May 2024, but as of now, no visible progress has been made.

Real Estate - Tue, December 24, 2024 | 8:12 am GMT+7

Toyota Vietnam to bolster supporting industry businesses in Vinh Phuc province

Toyota Vietnam to bolster supporting industry businesses in Vinh Phuc province

Japan's leading car manufacturer Toyota will support Vinh Phuc province-based enterprises in the automotive supporting industry to improve their capacity and develop the local economy.

Companies - Mon, December 23, 2024 | 10:43 pm GMT+7