Google exec says AI adoption in Asia is faster than expected, but companies are more cautious

Harsha Konduri, Google's general manager of AI business for Asia-Pacific and Japan, says AI is spreading across Asia much faster than many expected. AI took about two years to take off, while cloud computing took more than a decade to become part of daily business operations. He says claims that Asia lags other markets in AI adoption do not match reality, and Asia may be Google Cloud's fastest-growing region.

Among the companies Konduri has worked with, Asia already ranks second globally in AI revenue contribution, with some business nearing North America. Still, Asian companies are more cautious about adopting AI. He points to partners such as Samsung Electronics, Tokio Marine and Tata Steel, saying firms that spent decades building reputations may worry about damage from new tech mistakes, so they focus more on safety.

Konduri also expects companies to pay more attention to AI costs. He says firms do not need to use expensive top-tier models for every task, since only a small share of work truly requires them.