Asian Consumers Positive About Artificial Intelligence And Willing To Upskill To Future-Proof Their Careers

63% believe that AI will enable them to do a better and more interesting job in the future

SINGAPORE, Sept. 13, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Salesforce (NYSE: CRM), the world's leading CRM, today launched new research focused on Asian consumers titled Artificial Intelligence in Asia: Trust, Understanding and the Opportunity to Re-Skill, revealing a positive outlook on the impact of Artificial Intelligence (AI) across Asia. Job opportunities were a top concern for Asian consumers but most recognised the need to develop and upskill for the jobs of the future (58%). Most Asian consumers also believe that AI will improve the world and their lives in the future (63%); helping them make smarter decisions and their jobs more interesting.

Asian consumers still lack an understanding of AI, and the data shows that this corresponds with a lower level of trust. Those who believe that AI can improve their lives and the world, are also the ones who reported a higher level of understanding of AI. Higher levels of understanding translated to higher levels of trust, which represents a strong opportunity for businesses to educate and inform their customers on the true value of AI.

Views on Chatbots, Robo-Advisors and Self-Driving Cars
Consumers in Asia still prefer human interaction, and exhibited low trust levels toward Chatbots, Robo-Advisors and Self-Driving Cars. They tend to have a higher acceptance of product or content recommendations through AI but ultimately still trust the opinions of friends and families. Voice assistants are the most popular choice of AI interaction among Asian consumers as more than half of the respondents would actively choose to interact with one.

Comments on the research

• "As we enter the Fourth Industrial Revolution, underpinned by an AI Revolution, the need to understand our customers is more pertinent than ever. We need to ensure Asia is future- ready," Renzo Taal, Senior Vice President, Salesforce APAC.
  
• "AI has the power to improve and transform the way societies live and work, and our interactions with one another. We are here to help companies and individuals get ready for the future - both the jobs of the future and the customers of the future. Our online learning platform, Trailhead, has transformed the lives and careers of 160,000 Trailblazers globally and will continue to help guide Asia businesses and consumers through this change and into the future," Renzo Taal, Senior Vice President, Salesforce APAC.

Data Highlights

Singapore

• 61% of Singaporeans think AI will enable them to do a better or more interesting job.
• Only 29% think AI will put them out of a job.
• 66% acknowledged the need to learn, develop and upskill themselves to be future-ready.
• "The more I understand AI, the more I trust it," says 38% of Singaporeans.

Hong Kong

• 55% of Hong Kong consumers think AI will enable them to do a better or more interesting job in the future and only 29% think AI will put them out of a job.
• Only 45% expressed a desire to upskill themselves for jobs of the future.
• 35% said the more they understand AI, the more they trust it.

Thoughts on Robo-Advisors

• In Singapore (69%) and Hong Kong (77%), consumers still trust a human more and prefer to interact with one to offer financial and wealth advice.
• Malaysian and Thai consumers' sentiment are similar to that of Singapore and Hong Kong's; but Indonesians and Filipinos would trust a Robo-Advisor and a human equally.

Thoughts on Chatbots

• Singapore consumers (90%) overwhelmingly trust and prefer a human over a chatbot, have a good understanding of a chatbot and have interacted with one (79%).
• Asian consumers across Hong Kong, India, Thailand, Indonesia and Philippines all prefer the human touch and trust a human to better understand the issue and will give them the answer they are looking for.

Thoughts on Self-Driving Cars

• Asian consumers still trust and prefer a human over a self-driving car, and the data shows that most believe a human and a self-driving car has an equal chance of an accident, except Hong Kongers who trust that humans have a lower risk of getting into a crash.

About the research:
This research was conducted by YouGov, commissioned by Salesforce and covers seven Asian markets: Singapore, Hong Kong, India, Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia and Philippines with a sample size of 1000 consumers in each market. The survey measures Asian consumers' awareness, understanding and usage of AI products and services as well as examines their outlook of AI to understand how they feel about AI impacting their lives and the world at large. The survey also explores trust levels of consumers towards six real-world applications of AI -- including smart chatbots, self-driving cars and robo-advisors. Download the report and infographic here.

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About Salesforce

Salesforce, the global CRM leader, empowers companies to connect with their customers in a whole new way. For more information about Salesforce (NYSE: CRM), visit: www.salesforce.com/ap.

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