AI Adoption Gains Traction Among Thai Organizations, Boosted by Private Sector Urgings for Digital Workforce Evolution
Thai businesses adopt AI, facing demands for quicker advancement in digital skillsets
The tide is turning for artificial intelligence (AI) in Thailand, as more businesses embrace the technology and the private sector pushes for government action to groom a specialized digital workforce.
In a recent survey, the AI Governance Centre (AIGC) under the Electronic Transactions Development Agency (ETDA) reported an increase in the proportion of organizations using AI, growing from 15.2% in 2023 to 17.8% in 2024. Even more promising, the number of organizations planning to implement AI skyrocketed, jumping from 56.6% to 73.3% in the same period. This shift represents a notable drop in the percentage of companies with no intention of adopting AI, which plummeted from 28.2% to just 8.9%.
Thai organizations have demonstrated a keen readiness and intentional strategy for AI across five key areas: data and infrastructure readiness, personnel readiness, strategic and organizational capabilities, governance readiness, and technological readiness. The goals for AI deployment aim to boost competitiveness and nurture sustainable development in six main aspects:
- Promote fair competition and deliver broad benefits to society, economy, and the environment.
- Design and use AI in compliance with legal and ethical principles, centering on human values and respecting human rights.
- Ensure systems are explainable, with tracking and retrospective auditing capabilities.
- Prioritize personal data protection and cybersecurity in AI development.
- Avoid biases in data and algorithms, cultivating diversity and safeguarding vulnerable groups for inclusive AI benefits.
- Control AI development processes to ensure accuracy, reliability, and continuous improvement.
ETDA is taking actions to encourage AI development within organizations and government agencies, urging them to perceive AI governance as a vital framework rather than a burden. AIGC serves as a valuable support center, preparing organizations for effective AI adoption. Furthermore, Thailand deems AI governance guidelines as tools for policy setting, operational procedures, tools, and risk analysis to optimize user benefits, helping AI developers and businesses employ AI ethically, transparently, and responsibly.
"Thailand emphasizes AI governance guidelines as mechanisms for policy setting, operational procedures, tools, and risk analysis to maximize user benefits. This framework supports AI developers and businesses to ethically, transparently, and responsibly apply AI within the country's industrial sectors," said Rojana, head of the AIGC.
Thailand is currently drafting AI legislation, open for public consultation.
Bridging the Gap: Skilled Personnel Demand in Digital Economy
As Thailand advances digitally, experts underline the significant shortage of skilled personnel able to develop and operate AI systems. To address this challenge, organizations such as Osotspa are collaborating with educational institutions to tailor curricula to meet the growing demand for AI expertise. Osotspa has formed AI working groups to cultivate AI champions within the company and is applying AI to product development as well as improving production processes, yielding cost reductions and increased productivity.
Oranuch Lerdsuwankij, CEO and co-founder of Techsauce Media, acknowledges that while Thailand has good digital infrastructure, data management and utilization suffer from inadequately skilled personnel able to analyze data effectively. Larger enterprises seldom encounter digital and AI professional shortages, but smaller and medium-sized enterprises struggle with limited resources in these fields where government support is vital and evidently required, she contends.
She emphasized that AI technology is already enhancing productivity across industries, including healthcare, agriculture, and manufacturing. "If we have enough skilled personnel, we can increase efficiency and lower operational costs," said Lerdsuwankij.
Jarung Kiatsupapong, Chief Information Officer of KBTG Group, shared similar views, explaining that banks use AI for digital lending by assessing client data to gauge loan needs and repayment capacity. Furthermore, AI serves as coding assistance, reducing programming workload by approximately 40%, ultimately boosting productivity by the same margin.
"Leadership must possess a clear vision to drive an organization towards AI utilization, thereby enhancing operational efficiency," concluded Kiatsupapong.
In essence, rapid AI adoption among Thai organizations is due to strong workforce engagement, strategic organizational planning, government-backed initiatives, and the rise of advanced AI technologies like agentic AI. However, challenges remain to be addressed, such as job security concerns, talent shortages, data integrity, governance, and SME support, to nurture sustainable AI integration in Thailand's economy.
This dynamic reveals Thailand's position as a regional AI leader while simultaneously pointing to areas requiring concentrated attention to maximize AI benefits.
- The private sector in Thailand is pushing for a specialized digital workforce to accommodate the growing adoption of artificial intelligence (AI) among organizations.
- Ethical AI governance is being emphasized by the Electronic Transactions Development Agency (ETDA) as a critical framework to ensure responsible AI development in the country.
- Thailand is experiencing a shortage of skilled personnel capable of developing and operating AI systems, prompting organizations like Osotspa to collaborate with educational institutions to tailor curricula for AI expertise.
- AI technology is already improving productivity across various industries, including healthcare, agriculture, and manufacturing, but concerns remain over job security, talent shortages, data integrity, governance, and support for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs).
- Rapid AI adoption in Thailand is being driven by strong workforce engagement, strategic organizational planning, government-backed initiatives, and the rise of advanced AI technologies like agentic AI.
- Awareness of the need for AI literacy in education, coupled with government support and a clear vision from leadership, is crucial for the sustainable integration of AI in Thailand's economy and society, making it a regional AI leader.
