According to the 2025 Celonis AI Process Optimization Report, business leaders in the Asia-Pacific region (APAC) region exhibit a lower level of confidence in the organization's ability to effectively use artificial intelligence (AI) compared to their counterparts in other global regions.
Based on a survey of 1,620 global business leaders with a quarter of APAC respondents and 10% of Australia, the report highlights that only 82% of APAC executives are confident in their ability to leverage AI to promote business value. This figure represents the lowest level of trust among the areas surveyed, with 92% tracking the US, where 92% represent trust.
Despite this trust gap, adoption of AI at APAC has made measurable advances. 70% of business leaders in the region show that current AI investments provide the expected return on investment. As a result, the US is slightly behind (82%) and ahead of Europe (69%).
“The data shows that APAC is not behind the capabilities, but it's full of confidence,” said Pascal Coubard, APAC lead at Celonis. “AI has no boundaries. Companies across Australia and regions should not view geography as a disadvantage. The actual ROI of AI will come when companies apply it not only to the surface but to the operational core of their business, across processes such as payments, collections, and supply chain execution.”
This study found that the global perception of generative AI (Genai) is around the world. Currently, 81% of business leaders use the basic Genai model for developer productivity, knowledge management, and customer service. Chatbots or virtual assistants with Genai are deployed by 61% of organizations surveyed around the world. The US is leading the way with 75% adoption, with APAC adoption at 63% and Europe adopting at 57%.
These use cases are expanding, but most organizations see themselves in the early stages of AI integration. 64% of leaders surveyed worldwide believe that AI will generate a significant return on investment next year, while three-quarters (74%) of those close to plan to increase their AI budgets are planning. This investment has raised expectations, with 73% of companies aiming to launch department-specific AI use cases.
Handling intelligence concerns
Trust in the possibilities of AI is mitigated by process challenges. Over half (58%) of the business leaders surveyed feel that the current state of the process could limit the benefits AI can offer. The majority (89%) say that effective AI deployment requires a deeper understanding of organizational processes known as “process contexts.”
“Leaders know they can't optimize things you don't understand,” Cooverd said. “They are increasingly aware that process visibility and intelligence are essential to unlocking the full value of enterprise AI.”
These concerns are particularly prominent in APAC. 62% of APAC leaders have expressed concern about the lack of understanding of the process that potentially limits AI success. This is higher than the reported figures in Europe (60%) and the US (55%). 93% of US leaders say AI needs a detailed operational context to reach its potential.
Handling mining and departmental perspectives
Increasingly, companies are dealing with mining technologies to tackle process visibility challenges. Currently, 39% of companies use process mining, with over half (52%) planning to adopt such tools in the next 12 months. The technology supports a process intelligence initiative aimed at providing the context that AI systems need.
The report points out that trust in AI differs between organizational sectors. Process and operations leaders are most confident in current AI use cases (76%), with close succession in finance and shared services (75%), IT (73%) and supply chain (68%). However, only 61% of supply chain leaders believe that AI will generate a greater return on investment next year compared to 66% of processes and operations.
A year ahead
The survey findings point to 2025 as a vital period for enterprise AI. Business leaders are looking for sophisticated strategies to increase investment and pair AI with the right process context, and will take on these efforts using technologies such as process intelligence.
“AI is not just a high-tech upgrade, it's a new operating model,” Coubard said. “However, to maximize the ROI of AI deployments, businesses need AI with the process knowledge and business context provided by Celonis Process Intelligence.”
