Across the Asia-Pacific region, businesses are racing to keep pace with AI developments. Governments from Singapore to Australia and Japan are championing responsible AI under rapidly evolving national digital economies, with frameworks such as Singapore’s National AI Strategy 2.0 carving out a vision for trusted, people-centered adoption. Yet many organizations still find themselves experimenting with generative AI (GenAI) without a clear framework for governance and culture.
While enthusiasm runs high, there’s still room for growth in terms of maturity in governance, skills, and culture. Many organizations are still discovering the immense potential of AI even while grappling with how to deploy it responsibly, ethically, and effectively.
A recent IBM study highlights this gap. While 75 percent of CEOs globally agree that trusted AI is impossible without effective AI governance in their organization, only 39 percent said they have good GenAI governance in place. In Southeast Asia, where AI is projected to add over US$1 trillion to the region’s GDP by 2030, many organizations are pressing forward with GenAI adoption despite incomplete frameworks, driven by the risk of being left behind in an increasingly competitive landscape.
At the same time, cybercriminals continue to evolve in sophistication. Deepfake scams and AI-driven phishing attacks have already caused multimillion-dollar corporate losses in Asia. In one of the largest corporate frauds known to date, a finance worker in Hong Kong transferred more than $25 million to scammers using deepfake technology to pose as a company’s CFO on a video conference call.
To navigate this new era safely and effectively, organizations will need to establish clear governance, operational frameworks, and cultural foundations that enable AI to deliver on its promise while protecting the business from risk.
Here are three steps businesses can take to strengthen governance and culture frameworks to achieve sustainable AI success:
1. Establish an AI Governance Structure
Before embarking on GenAI initiatives, organizations should create clear governance structures that align with both company values and local regulatory expectations. In markets such as Singapore, this includes drawing insights from the Model AI Governance Framework and the AI Verify testing toolkit, both built to strengthen responsible deployment.
A cross functional governance or executive steering committee defines guidelines on how to leverage GenAI safely and securely. This committee should include top-level executives from business units and representatives from legal, security, and IT to determine the best tools, platforms, and standards for your organization, establishing security, privacy, and legal foundations.
Without this oversight, risks multiply. Employees could input confidential data into public GenAI tools, which may later be used to train those systems, exposing sensitive information. Legal risks are also mounting as companies face lawsuits over models trained on copyrighted or proprietary material. A governance model ensures your contracts with AI vendors include strong indemnities and privacy protections to mitigate exposure.
Governance is not about crushing innovation. It’s about creating an environment where employees can leverage GenAI for greater efficiency and innovation safely.
2. Operationalize AI Excellence
Once the ground rules are established, the next step is to put the foundational governance policies, GenAI tools, platforms, and standards into practice. A working committee, or center of excellence, can bring GenAI to life and continually improve its use throughout your organization.
This team develops a common architecture, framework, and use cases that the whole company can leverage within the guides established by the governing committee. Ideally, your AI platform should align with the other tech platforms standardized across your organization. This approach enables the development of proprietary GenAI tools that allow employees to use AI securely, keeping all data within company walls and ensuring it is not used to train external models.
This approach democratizes the use of GenAI, empowering both business users and IT teams to leverage its potential safely and effectively. Turning AI principles into actionable policies that organizations can implement effectively and responsibly is a significant challenge. Governance provides the guiding roadmap, the working committee delivers the platforms and tools, and culture ensures employees embrace them.
3. Build AI Culture from the Bottom Up and the Top Down
It’s the human element that brings AI culture to life. A strong AI culture works from both the bottom up and the top down, with people at every level sharing their passion and knowledge about AI.
This approach includes a train-the-trainer, executive leadership training, event programs, and more. Employees receive dedicated GenAI training to upskill, build foundational understanding, and reduce fear of new technology. Trained champions then share their expertise across teams, while leaders model adoption by integrating GenAI into their own functions and encouraging their teams to do the same. By fostering a culture that promotes continuous learning, innovation, and shared responsibility, organizations empower employees to embrace GenAI confidently and use it to drive meaningful impact.
Empowering Every Employee with GenAI
GenAI in business isn’t just for data scientists. Its capabilities can enhance productivity, creativity, and decision-making across all functions, from marketing and finance to operations and customer service. As AI becomes more deeply embedded in business processes, it’s essential that employees at every level are equipped to navigate both its opportunities and its risks. A governing structure and working committee can provide the GenAI roadmap that brings people together as they delve into this tech journey successfully.
Training and awareness play a vital role in helping employees understand how to use GenAI effectively and responsibly. When staff are confident using AI tools, they can focus on solving problems, improving efficiency, and driving innovation rather than fearing the technology.
A clear governance structure and a dedicated working committee provide the roadmap to guide this transformation. Together, they ensure that employees have the right frameworks, guardrails, and support to explore GenAI safely, collaboratively, and in alignment with organizational values.
Christanto Suryadarma is Head of Partnerships, APAC at Zebra Technologies.
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Featured image: Gertrūda Valasevičiūtė on Unsplash
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