Ipsos Survey reveals 81% Malaysians believe AI could transform or replace jobs

Half of Malaysians are concerned about the impact of Artificial Intelligence (AI), with 81% believing that it will either alter their current work or completely replace their jobs.

On 20 July, multinational market research and consulting firm Ipsos published their findings on Malaysians’ Opinions and Expectations on Artificial Intelligence.

The survey was conducted from 26 May to 9 June this year, and it also yielded insights related to other countries around the world, creating a Southeast Asian Average and a Global Country Average, reflecting the combined results of all the surveyed countries.

The study involved 22,816 adults under the age of 75 across 31 countries.

Malaysians are concern about job transformation and job replacement

The findings reveal that AI makes some Malaysians nervous, especially due to concerns about job transformation and job replacement.

Ipsos discovered that approximately 55% of Malaysians feel uneasy about products and services utilizing AI, which is close to the global average of 52%.

81% of Malaysians firmly believe that AI will significantly impact the way they carry out their jobs, aligning closely with the Southeast Asian average of 78%.

Regarding the possibility of AI replacing their current jobs, 62% of Malaysians expressed this belief, in contrast to a higher percentage in the Global country average, where respondents disagreed with this idea.

Positive attitude toward AI

Interestingly, the survey revealed that Malaysians, much like other Asian countries, hold a positive attitude towards AI and its associated products and services.

a staggering 70% of Malaysians place their trust in companies that utilize AI to the same extent as they trust other companies.

According to the survey, 65% of Malaysians believed they possess a good understanding of AI, while Singapore (67%) and Japan (43%) showed similar perceptions of their knowledge about AI.

Interestingly, 84% of Indonesians expressed a higher level of self-confidence in their understanding of AI.

On average, across the 31 countries surveyed, 67% of the participants believed they have a good grasp of what AI entails.

Overall, while Malaysians maintain a positive attitude towards AI, there is also a sense of cautiousness about the potential transformative effects AI might have on their daily lives.

However, it is crucial to note that AI is rapidly evolving and will continue to do so at an accelerated pace in the near future.

The firm suggested that Individuals and Governments need to be conscious and ready to face the societal transition that follows while enjoying the benefits of AI adoption.

Ipsos clarified that the survey results have not been adjusted to account for the population size of each country or market, and it should not be interpreted as a total representation of the entire population.

Furthermore, it was mentioned that the samples collected from certain countries, including Brazil, Chile, Colombia, India, Indonesia, Ireland, Malaysia, Mexico, Peru, Romania, Singapore, South Africa, Thailand, and Turkey, are skewed towards urban areas and consist of individuals who are more educated and/or affluent compared to the general population.