Salesforce has released its Agentic AI ASEAN survey, conducted by YouGov across 4,062 knowledge workers in Singapore, Indonesia, Thailand, and the Philippines. The findings reveal that personal use of AI tools — not corporate mandates — is the primary driver of workplace AI adoption across Southeast Asia. Some 66% of respondents said their personal AI use has increased their trust in AI at work, while 69% said it has raised their confidence.

The survey, fielded in February and March 2026, also found that 75% of knowledge workers in ASEAN have already interacted with or are actively using agentic AI at work — a figure that suggests adoption has moved well beyond early-majority status in the region.

Skills gap undermines agentic AI potential

Despite high engagement, corporate enablement remains thin. Only 32% of workers say their company is training them on how to use AI agents, and just 26% say their employer is investing in peer-to-peer knowledge sharing forums. The gap creates conditions for shadow AI — the use of unapproved tools outside an organisation’s visibility — which Salesforce flags as a growing security and compliance risk.

Only 3% of knowledge workers in ASEAN expect never to use AI agents at work, which underscores the urgency for enterprises to develop formal AI fluency programmes rather than rely on employees’ self-directed learning.

“While the growing trust in AI across ASEAN is being driven from personal curiosity, individual use alone doesn’t translate to enterprise-scale impact and trusted business outcomes. For businesses, this is a clear signal to move: our workforce is ready, but it is up to organisations to provide the secure, enterprise-grade frameworks and skills support that turns personal use of AI into a coordinated engine for growth and innovation in the Agentic Enterprise.” — Paul Carvouni, SVP and General Manager, Salesforce ASEAN

Generational gap narrower than expected

The survey challenges conventional assumptions about generational divides in AI adoption. Gen Z’s use of AI at work outpaces Millennials and Gen X by just four percentage points on average. More strikingly, Gen X workers (37%) are more likely than Gen Z (29%) to use AI agents to work outside their area of expertise — a finding the survey authors flag as a potential governance risk, given Gen X employees tend to carry greater data access and decision-making authority.

On the question of what would increase confidence in using AI agents, the top three responses were: transparency and control over what actions an AI agent takes and why (43%), easy access to approved, high-quality tools (42%), and clearer guidance on skills to develop (42%).

Rising consumer expectations compound the pressure

The survey also signals a secondary effect: as workers grow more familiar with AI in their personal lives, their expectations as consumers are rising. Some 46% now expect faster and more efficient services from businesses, while 45% expect greater accuracy and fewer errors. Salesforce positions this as making enterprise AI adoption a competitive necessity, not just an operational choice.

The study covered knowledge workers across finance, marketing, IT, law, education, research, healthcare administration, and consulting, up to middle management level.