Thai firms embrace AI amid calls for faster digital talent development

Rojana Lamlert, head of the AI Governance Centre (AIGC) under the Electronic Transactions Development Agency (ETDA), stated that a survey on AI readiness among organisations between 2023 and 2024 revealed an increase in the proportion of organisations beginning to adopt AI—from 15.2% in 2023 to 17.8% in 2024.

Meanwhile, the proportion of organisations planning to implement AI rose from 56.6% in 2023 to 73.3% in 2024. Conversely, those with no intention of adopting AI and requiring support dropped sharply from 28.2% to just 8.9%. 

The percentage of organisations aware of AI adoption also increased from 45.3% in 2023 to 55.1% in 2024.

Thai organisations demonstrate strong readiness and have clear AI strategies across five key areas: data and infrastructure readiness, personnel readiness, strategic and organisational capabilities, governance readiness, and technological readiness.

The objectives for AI deployment aim to enhance competitiveness and foster sustainable development in six main aspects:

• AI utilisation should promote fair competition and deliver broad benefits to society, economy, and the environment.
• AI must be designed and used in compliance with legal and ethical principles, centred on human values and respecting human rights.
• AI should be explainable, with systems that enable tracking and retrospective auditing.
• AI development must prioritise personal data protection and cybersecurity.
• Bias in data and algorithms must be avoided, promoting diversity and protecting vulnerable groups to ensure AI benefits are inclusive.
• AI development processes should be controlled to ensure accuracy, reliability, and continuous improvement.

Rojana said ETDA is accelerating efforts to encourage organisations and agencies to prioritise AI development, urging them to view AI governance not as a burden but as an essential and necessary framework. The AIGC serves as a support centre, preparing organisations for effective AI adoption.

“Thailand also emphasises AI governance guidelines as mechanisms for policy setting, operational procedures, tools, and risk analysis to maximise user benefits. This framework supports AI developers and businesses to ethically, transparently, and responsibly apply AI within the country’s industrial sectors,” she said.

She added that Thailand is currently drafting AI legislation, which is open for public consultation.

Urgent need for skilled personnel to drive digital economy

Khajonpong Akkarajitsakul, AI technology expert at Osotspa, highlighted that the main obstacle in digital and AI transformation is the shortage of skilled personnel capable of developing and operating AI systems. 

To address this, Osotspa collaborates with educational institutions to develop curricula tailored to meet the growing demand for AI expertise.

He explained that Osotspa has formed AI working groups to cultivate AI champions within the company to enhance operational efficiency. The company is applying AI to product development and improving production processes, leading to cost reductions and greater productivity.

Oranuch Lerdsuwankij, CEO and co-founder of Techsauce Media, noted that while Thailand has good digital infrastructure, there is a challenge in data management and utilisation due to a lack of skilled personnel who can analyse data effectively.

Large enterprises generally do not face a shortage of digital and AI professionals; however, medium and small enterprises struggle with limited capital and insufficient personnel in these fields—areas where government support is crucial, she emphasised.

She added that AI technology is currently being used to enhance productivity across various industries, including healthcare, agriculture, and manufacturing.

“If we have enough skilled personnel, we can increase efficiency and reduce operational costs,” she said.

Jarung Kiatsupapong, Chief Information Officer of KBTG Group, shared similar views, explaining that banks are using AI for digital lending by analysing customer data to assess loan needs and repayment capacity.

Addressing personnel shortages, AI is also employed as coding assistance, reducing programming workload by 40%, which in turn boosts productivity by the same margin, he explained.

“I believe AI can support many aspects of work. For successful AI adoption, leadership must have a clear vision to drive the organisation towards AI utilisation, thereby enhancing operational efficiency,” he concluded.