AI wins are uneven in Asia-Pacific, says PwC CEO survey
Artificial intelligence is beginning to generate revenue and cost gains for Asia-Pacific companies, but results remain uneven — reinforcing calls for deeper business reinvention, according to the latest CEO survey by PwC.
The 29th Annual Global CEO Survey found that 39% of Asia-Pacific CEOs reported additional revenues from AI over the past 12 months, outperforming the global average of 30%. Meanwhile, 26% saw tangible cost reductions, and 15% achieved both revenue growth and cost savings simultaneously.
Yet about half of CEOs in the region reported little to no financial upside from AI, highlighting the uneven pace of returns.
The findings suggest that value from AI is closely tied to organizational readiness. Companies with strong AI foundations are twice as likely to achieve both revenue growth and cost reductions.
However, only 26% of organizations report robust capabilities across at least six of seven core areas, including culture, technology environment, strategy and AI roadmap, responsible AI, talent, investment, and data.
In the Philippines, readiness remains a work in progress. The PwC Philippines AI Readiness Survey 2025 found that most organizations fall within the “emerging stage,” with an average maturity score of 3.2 out of 5 across six pillars: strategy and roadmap, technology and infrastructure, data assets, governance and processes, team and talent, and modelling and operations.
The AI divide comes as broader pressures intensify. Nearly four in ten Asia-Pacific CEOs (39%) report high exposure to cyber threats, the highest-ranked risk in the region. At the same time, confidence in short-term revenue growth has softened, with only 21% saying they are very or extremely confident about the year ahead.
Roderick Danao, chairman and senior partner of Isla Lipana & Co./PwC Philippines, said the survey reflects the urgency of transformation in an era of rapid change.
“We live in a time of rapid changes, and these changes will happen whether we are onboard. CEOs must look to evolve with intent and agility and seize the momentum for new sources of growth as industry boundaries become more porous,” Danao said.
He added that the broader message of the survey goes beyond technology adoption.
“What consumers and stakeholders need and how they want those needs met are changing. The pattern is clear around the world. Boundaries between business sectors are blurring and, as a result, new domains of growth are emerging,” Danao explained.
As AI moves from experimentation to measurable impact, the survey suggests that organizations able to institutionalize strategy, talent, governance and data capabilities will be better positioned to convert technological disruption into sustained competitive advantage.
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