Southeast Asian organizations are leading global peers in using artificial intelligence (AI) safely and responsibly, positioning them for stronger return on investment (ROI) from the technology, according to a new study by SAS and the International Data Corporation (IDC).

The annual report, which tracks how organizations around the world are adopting AI, building trust in AI and realizing business value from the technology, found that Southeast Asia’s Trustworthiness Index rose 8.8 points from 57.7 in 2025 to 66.5 out of 100 in 2026, demonstrating improved practices.

The Trustworthiness Index evaluates governance, data, and oversight practices that prove AI reliability across five five dimensions: data quality and governance, model governance and oversight, explainability and fairness, responsible AI policy, and audit and accountability.

At the same time, the AI Trust Gap in Southeast Asia shrank from 14.6 points in 2025 to 6.6 points in 2026. The Trust Gap is the difference between what people believe AI can be trusted to do and what AI can demonstrably prove it can do reliably and safely.

With perceived trust in Southeast Asia remaining broadly stable at 73.1 in 2026, this means that the narrowing gap in the region was driven primarily by stronger capabilities rather than lower expectations.

Among all the major regions, Southeast Asia was the only market in the study to exceed the global benchmark across all five dimensions of trustworthy AI, giving these organizations a strong position to capture substantial business benefits.

In particular, the SAS and IDC research found that organizations investing in trustworthy AI measures are 15 times more likely to report strong or high ROI.

Source link