Artificial Intelligence in Southeast Asia: Unpacking perceived risks and regional concerns

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is reshaping industries and societies worldwide, but perceptions of its impact vary significantly by region.

While globally 42% of men and 35% of women believe AI will mostly benefit people over the next 20 years; these numbers drop noticeably in Southeast Asia, where only 36% of men and 30% of women share this optimism (see Chart 1). This disparity underscores a cautious or uncertain outlook toward AI in the region, highlighting the need to better understand public perceptions and the specific risks that inform them.

This cautious perspective on AI in Southeast Asia underscores the importance of robust research into regional safety challenges, such as the findings offered by the Lloyd’s Register Foundation World Risk Poll.

The Lloyd’s Register Foundation World Risk Poll offers valuable insights into global safety challenges. Conducted every two years as part of the Gallup World Poll, the 2024 edition covers 142 countries, highlighting key findings related to safety issues worldwide.

IfM Engage received funding from Lloyd’s Register Foundation to conduct the project “Policy making for a more resilient world: leveraging the World Risk Poll for more effective digital, labour, and industrial policies”. The project explores the link between socio-economic resilience and industrialisation, aiming to leverage World Risk Poll data to inform policies and interventions that help save lives and make people feel safer, focusing on the Southeast Asia region. It will also contribute to providing a better understanding of perceptions and experiences of risks in the region and the areas in which policy interventions are needed to address these risks.

Leveraging the expertise from Cambridge Industrial Innovation Policy, a team of policy analysts is complementing the World Risk Poll data with international datasets to produce policy briefs on four key areas:

• AI frameworks and regulations for safe and inclusive AI use;
• digital economy agreements including regulations for cross-border data flows;
• the role of industrial policy in enhancing socio-economic resilience;
• and labour policies to mitigate workplace risks.

These policy briefs will include recommendations highlighting areas in which policy interventions are needed to address these risks in Southeast Asia.

The findings of the analysis will be disseminated through a range of activities, including: in-person and online seminars; workshops with representatives from national governments, regional and international organisations; short-video explainers; and infographics summarising the findings of the policy briefs.

The project started in September 2024 and will run until December 2025 and was selected following a competitive call for funding based on its potential to use the World Risk Poll data to improve people’s safety.