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AI gold rush? New APAC research reveals major gap between AI Leaders and Followers

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AI Leaders are setting themselves apart through approaches to strategies, skills, governance, and trust40% of APAC organisations are expecting at least 3x ROI on AI investmentsOver $110 billion is set to be invested in AI across the region by 2028

SINGAPORE, Oct. 23, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — The IDC Data and AI Pulse: Asia Pacific 2024 study, commissioned by SAS, has revealed Asia Pacific (APAC) organisations are rushing to jump onto the AI bandwagon, with nearly half (43%) planning a large investment increase in AI of over 20% in the next 12 months. While organisations are investing heavily in AI, only 18% of APAC businesses consider themselves as AI Leaders, leaving a large gap between those AI Leaders driving long-term transformational change, and AI Followers experimenting with numerous projects and lacking a clear AI strategy.

Of those surveyed, AI Leaders indicated their top business outcomes from AI initiatives are focused on driving new revenue growth (32%), increasing operational efficiency (31%) and increasing profits (26%). By comparison, AI Followers indicated improving customer service (27%), expanding market share (25%) and faster time to market (25%) as their top business outcomes.

“The disparity in target outcomes between AI Leaders and AI Followers demonstrates a lack of clear strategy and roadmap. Where AI Followers are focused on short-term, productivity-based results, AI Leaders have moved beyond these to more complex functional and industry use cases,” said Shukri Dabaghi, Senior Vice President, Asia Pacific and EMEA Emerging at SAS.

“As businesses look to capitalise on the transformative potential of AI, it’s important for business leaders to learn from the differences between an AI Leader and an AI Follower. Avoiding a ‘gold rush’ way of thinking ensures long-term transformation is built on trustworthy AI and capabilities in data, processes and skills,” said Mr. Dabaghi.

“The IDC Data and AI Pulse: Asia Pacific 2024 study is an important snapshot of how hundreds of large APAC organisations are approaching adoption and implementation of AI, highlighting the leaders and followers across industries,” said Chris Marshall, Vice President, Data, Analytics, AI, Sustainability, and Industry Research at IDC Asia/Pacific. “These insights give us the opportunity to unpack the barriers to successful AI implementation, allowing businesses to make wiser investments into these new and emerging technologies, without being caught-up in the gold rush”. 

Generative AI is only one part of the AI journey

While a great deal of AI hype has focused on generative AI, the study reveals that organisations have been investing into predictive and interpretive AI technologies. In 2023, generative AI accounted for just 19% of AI investment but by 2024, and is predicted to increase to 34% reflecting a more balanced distribution across these three AI categories.

IDC’s latest spending guide suggests AI spending in Asia Pacific will reach US$45 billion in 2024, rising to US$110 billion by 2028 at 24% CAGR (2023-2028).[1]

The research reveals that organisations are reallocating budgets for the 2024 increase in generative AI investment, with a third saying it will come from redistributing funds away from infrastructure modernisation and 37 percent from application modernisation.

Expectations are high when it comes to ROI

The study reveals this prospective gold rush fuelled by inflated expectations of AI’s potential return on investment. The research found that 40% of organisations surveyed expect at least a three-fold return on investment, with the “fear of missing out” continuing to spur AI spending. As a result, the research shows AI has at times been adopted without a clear alignment between investments and their outcomes and business value.

With 43% of organisations planning to increase their AI investment by 20% or more in the next 12 months, organisations risk being disillusioned with AI because of these tactical investments’ likely returns. Instead, business leaders should realise that building an AI capability takes time and requires solid AI foundations to ensure long-term value add.

“While consumer access to generative AI tools made AI feel magical, integrating it into an enterprise environment takes a lot of work, the right infrastructure, and often the high expectations placed on these tools are unrealistic,” says Mr. Dabaghi. “Understanding these pitfalls provides us the opportunity to learn how we tackle these issues, enabling a higher success rate, and meeting business objectives when it comes to adopting and successfully implementing AI.”

Pulse of AI across industries

The study provides a detailed analysis of how AI is impacting different industry sectors in the APAC region, with key focus areas including banking, insurance, healthcare, and government sectors.

The skills-gap remains a consistent challenge across industries when it comes to successful AI adoption and implementation. This skill-gap is felt the most within the healthcare industry (41%), followed by the government sector (38%), insurance industry (32%), and less so in banking (29%). Despite this challenge, these industries continue to invest in improving their data and AI capabilities to deliver more streamlined decision-making, greater automation, faster time to market for new products and services, cost savings, and a host of other benefits.

Nonetheless, some use cases are being consistently and successfully deployed – in banking for instance, with its top three use cases: liquidity risk management, asset and liability management and financial crime analytics. In insurance, the research suggests we are seeing AI use cases for insurance claims fraud, omni-channel delivery of products and intelligent pricing. In health care, notable use cases include health care fraud and cost containment, while in government, the popular AI use cases relate to ensuring social benefits programme integrity, supporting emergency response, and tax and revenue compliance.

AI adoption trends vary across countries

The AI landscape in APAC varies by country, with each market showing unique adoption trends. China is leading in AI investments, showing a large increase in AI projects over the next 12 months (59 per cent), with India and Japan following suit (51 per cent; 46 per cent respectively). Furthermore, China and South Korea are advancing more rapidly in AI adoption and integration than the others. This disparity is driven by factors such as investment levels, regulatory frameworks, and the availability of AI talent and infrastructure. The lack of skilled personnel is a national as well as an industry concern in Japan, Australia and South Korea and many parts of Southeast Asia.

The research highlights the opportunities and the challenges associated with increasing AI investments across APAC in the coming years. It suggests that to unlock AI’s full potential, companies must develop in-house skills, build a strong portfolio of strategic use cases and plan for AI costs and risks from the start. By doing so, they can achieve some of the promised higher returns and foster greater trust in future AI investments.

The full report is available through the eBook: Data and AI Pulse: Asia Pacific 2024.

Methodology

The study, conducted in June 2024, includes 509 executives across eight Asia Pacific markets (Australia, China, India, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, Singapore, and Thailand) and sampled organisations across banking and finance, manufacturing, government, and health care & life sciences. Leaders were surveyed to examine their AI investment decisions, how they want AI to serve their organisations, challenges to deployment, and their approaches to managing these processes to achieve trusted AI outcomes.

About SAS

SAS is a global leader in data and AI. With SAS software and industry-specific solutions, organizations transform data into trusted decisions. SAS gives you THE POWER TO KNOW®.

[1] IDC’s Worldwide AI and Generative AI Spending Guide, August 2024

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Global AI Leader and Enterprise Transformation Visionary Zeya Ottomone Appointed Chief Executive Officer of Integrow

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Author of Empowered to Execute in the Agentic Era to Lead Next Generation of AI-Powered Enterprise Innovation

ATLANTA, July 24, 2026 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ — Integrow announced the appointment of Zeya Ottomone as Chief Executive Officer, marking a significant milestone in the company’s evolution as it accelerates its vision to become a global leader in Agentic AI-powered enterprise software and business transformation.

Integrow announced the appointment of Zeya Ottomone as Chief Executive Officer, marking a significant milestone in the company’s evolution as it accelerates its vision to become a global leader in Agentic AI-powered enterprise software and business transformation.

With more than three decades of executive leadership spanning Fortune 500 enterprises, global technology organizations, and enterprise software innovation, Ottomone joins Integrow at a defining moment in the evolution of artificial intelligence.

Widely recognized for helping organizations modernize operations, simplify complex business ecosystems, and deliver measurable transformation outcomes, Ottomone has led some of the industry’s largest enterprise modernization initiatives across ERP, CRM, workforce management, cloud computing, cybersecurity, artificial intelligence, and intelligent automation. His appointment signals Integrow’s commitment to redefining how enterprises execute strategy in the era of autonomous AI.

“Artificial Intelligence is no longer about automation alone, it’s about empowering organizations to execute faster, make smarter decisions, and fundamentally rethink how work gets done,” said Zeya Ottomone, Chief Executive Officer of Integrow. “We’re entering the Agentic Era, where intelligent AI agents become trusted digital teammates capable of planning, reasoning, collaborating and executing alongside people. At Integrow, we’re building the enterprise platform that makes that future practical, secure and measurable for every organization.”

Ottomone is internationally recognized as a leader in enterprise technology, SaaS transformation, digital modernization and AI-enabled business strategy. Throughout his career he has held executive leadership and C-level positions with ABB, Honeywell, AmerisourceBergen, Cable & Wireless, Chicago Tribune and Rimini Street, leading global organizations through large-scale transformation initiatives across North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific and the Middle East. His expertise spans enterprise applications, Salesforce ecosystems, ServiceNow, ERP modernization, customer experience, intelligent operations, data strategy, and the emerging field of Agentic AI.

Before joining Integrow, Ottomone led global SaaS Centers of Excellence focused on enterprise transformation, helping organizations modernize critical business operations while reducing technology complexity and accelerating innovation. A certified Lean Six Sigma Master Black Belt and recognized executive advisor, Ottomone has consistently delivered operational excellence by combining strategic leadership with emerging technologies to create sustainable business value.

His appointment also coincides with the upcoming publication of his new book, Empowered to Execute in the Agentic Era, which explores how organizations can bridge the gap between strategy and execution by leveraging AI, empowering people, and building intelligent enterprises capable of continuous innovation. The book reflects many of the same principles that will guide Integrow’s next phase of growth: human-centered AI, intelligent automation, operational excellence, and measurable business outcomes.

Under Ottomone’s leadership, Integrow will accelerate investment across:

Agentic AIEnterprise AI PlatformsIntelligent ERPAI-powered CRMHuman Capital ManagementIT Service ManagementPredictive AnalyticsAutonomous WorkflowsEnterprise CopilotsIndustry-specific AI Solutions

The company’s vision is to deliver a unified enterprise platform where AI is embedded into every business process, enabling organizations to eliminate operational silos, automate decision-making, increase productivity, and create competitive advantage through intelligent execution. “Zeya represents exactly the type of visionary leader required for the next generation of enterprise software,” said Harvey Nicholson, Chair of Corporate Governance and Member of Integrow’s Board of Directors. “His global experience, deep understanding of enterprise technology, and forward-looking vision for Agentic AI position Integrow to become one of the industry’s most innovative AI-powered enterprise software companies.”

Wayne Gadson, Chair of Growth Strategy, added: “The future belongs to organizations that can execute strategy with intelligence, speed and confidence. Zeya has spent his career helping enterprises achieve exactly that. His appointment marks the beginning of an exciting new chapter for Integrow, our customers and our partners worldwide.” As enterprises face mounting pressure to modernize operations, reduce costs, improve workforce productivity and harness the power of artificial intelligence, Integrow is uniquely positioned to help organizations transform through a single AI-powered enterprise platform that unifies finance, operations, customer engagement, workforce management, projects and service delivery.

“Our mission is simple,” Ottomone concluded. “We don’t believe AI should replace people. We believe AI should elevate people. The organizations that will define the next decade won’t simply adopt AI—they’ll empower every employee to execute better decisions every day. That’s the future Integrow is building.”

About Integrow

Integrow is a global enterprise software company delivering next-generation AI-powered business applications built on Salesforce. The platform unifies ERP, CRM, Human Capital Management, IT Service Management, Project Management, Field Service, Finance and Operations into a single intelligent ecosystem enhanced by Agentic AI.

By embedding artificial intelligence into every workflow, Integrow enables organizations to modernize operations, accelerate innovation, improve decision-making and execute strategy with confidence.

For more information, visit www.integrow.com.

Media Contact

Media Team, Integrow, Inc., 1 855-333-4769, info@integrow.com, www.integrow.com 

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Lufax Announces Board and Management Changes

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SHANGHAI, July 24, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Lufax Holding Ltd (“Lufax” or the “Company”) (NYSE: LU and HKEX: 6623), a leading financial services enabler for small business owners in China, today announced changes to its board of directors and senior management, effective July 25, 2026.

Ms. Fangfang Cai (“Ms. Cai”), Mr. Shibang Guo (“Mr. Guo”) and Mr. Peifeng Li (“Mr. Li”) have resigned as non-executive directors of the Company and from their respective positions on the Board’s committees. Mr. Tongzhuan Xi (“Mr. Xi”) has resigned as an executive director, the chief financial officer and the authorised representative of the Company (“Authorised Representative”) under Rule 3.05 of the Rules Governing the Listing of Securities on The Stock Exchange of Hong Kong Limited (“Hong Kong Listing Rules”), with effect from July 25, 2026. Each of the four directors cited personal work arrangements as the reason for their resignation and confirmed there is no disagreement with the Board and no matter relating to their departure that needs to be brought to shareholders’ attention.

The Company has begun a search for a new chief financial officer. During the transition, the CFO’s duties will be temporarily assumed by the Company’s internal team to ensure continuity of the Company’s financial functions. Mr. Xiang Ji, an executive director and the Company’s chief executive officer, has been appointed as the Authorised Representative, the Company’s designated liaison with the Stock Exchange under the Hong Kong Listing Rules, in place of Mr. Xi, with effect from July 25, 2026.

The Board has appointed Mr. Wai Kin Chim (“Mr. Chim”) as an independent non-executive director for an initial three-year term commencing July 25, 2026.

Mr. Chim, aged 65, has over 40 years of experience in international banking and extensive board experience in Asia Pacific, having worked in Hong Kong, Singapore and Beijing. He specializes in risk management and internal control, with a strong emphasis on corporate governance, credit risk, market risk and capital management.

Mr. Chim served as a loan officer at Standard Chartered Bank, Hong Kong Branch, from October 1985 to August 1988. He was then employed by Bankers Trust Company, Hong Kong Branch, as a vice president of the Asia Credit Department from September 1988 to October 1996. He subsequently served as the managing director and the chief credit officer for Deutsche Bank AG, a company listed on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange under ticker symbol DBK, for Asia Pacific (non-Japan Asia), from October 1996 to November 2006. He joined Bank of China Limited, a company listed on the Main Board of the Stock Exchange under stock code 3988, as the chief credit officer from March 2007 to March 2015.

Mr. Chim was an independent non-executive director of Standard Chartered Bank (China) Limited from October 2015 to October 2017. He served as an independent non-executive director of HDR Global Trading Limited, owner and operator of the BitMEX digital asset trading platform, from February 2021 to February 2022. Mr. Chim served as a non-executive director of China Chengtong Hong Kong Company Limited from July 2022 to June 2025. Mr. Chim is currently an independent non-executive director of OCBC Bank (Hong Kong) Limited, since November 2017; an independent non-executive director of Banco OCBC (Macau), S.A., since August 2023; an independent non-executive director of China Intellogis Technology Co., Ltd., since June 2024; and a director of Hong Kong Dance Company Limited since June 2026.

Mr. Chim obtained a Bachelor of Science degree from the Chinese University of Hong Kong in 1983 and an MBA degree from Indiana State University, USA, in 1985. He also graduated from the Senior Executive Program at Columbia University in 2000.

In connection with these changes, with effect from July 25, 2026, Ms. Cai will step down from the Nomination and Remuneration Committee, and Mr. Koon Wing Ernest Ip has been appointed as a member to that committee. The Company’s Special Committee will comprise Mr. Dicky Peter Yip, Mr. Koon Wing Ernest Ip and Mr. Siu Hong Cheng, continuing under the chairmanship of Mr. Dicky Peter Yip, with effect from July 25, 2026.

The Board would like to take this opportunity to thank Ms. Cai, Mr. Guo, Mr. Li and Mr. Xi for their service during the tenure of their office and warmly welcome Mr. Chim to the Board.

About Lufax

Lufax is a leading financial services enabler for small business owners in China. The Company offers financing products designed principally to address the needs of small business owners. In doing so, the Company has established relationships with 85 financial institutions in China as funding partners, many of which have worked with the Company for over three years.

Investor Relations Contact

Lufax Holding Ltd
Email: Investor_Relations@lu.com

ICR, LLC
Robin Yang
Tel: +1 (646) 308-0546
Email: lufax.ir@icrinc.com

 

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SOURCE Lufax Holding Ltd

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UMD Smith School Researchers Warn AI Security Lapses Highlight Urgent Need for Independent Oversight

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COLLEGE PARK, Md., July 24, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — A series of recent AI security lapses—including the OpenAI–Hugging Face breach—raises a fundamental question, say a pair of researchers at the University of Maryland’s Robert H. Smith School of Business: Can tech companies safely govern the powerful AI systems they build, or is stronger outside oversight now essential?

In its incident report, OpenAI confirmed that one of its experimental AI agents exploited a weakness in its testing environment while working on a routine benchmark task. The system wasn’t instructed to behave maliciously; instead, its persistence turned a small design flaw into a real escape. Earlier tests showed similar behavior, including agents that learned to bypass security checks by manipulating authentication tokens.

This pattern echoes findings from Dean’s Professor of Information Systems Siva Viswanathan at the Smith School, who studies how large technology platforms enforce rules. His research on mobile app privacy—published in Management Science—examined Google’s rollout of Android 6.0, which gave users more control over what data apps could collect. Developers were granted a flexible window to update their apps. Many used that flexibility to delay compliance for months, continuing to gather user data until Google imposed consequences such as lower search rankings and reduced visibility in its app store.

Viswanathan’s takeaway: when companies rely on voluntary compliance, self‑interested actors often exploit the slack. Real accountability requires pairing flexibility with firm, enforceable penalties.

That lesson now reverberates across the AI sector. As companies race to build increasingly capable systems, Viswanathan says oversight must treat these AI systems as strategic actors and must include strong safeguards that can pause or reverse a system before harm occurs.

He notes that a separate study from Anthropic underscores the stakes. In controlled tests, even an AI system designed to monitor another AI inherited the same flaws it was supposed to catch. In some cases, the “judge” model failed to flag clear sabotage because it agreed with the agent’s goals, allowing dangerous behavior to pass without human review.

Balaji Padmanabhan, Dean’s Professor of Decisions, Operations and Information Technologies and director of the Smith School’s Center for Artificial Intelligence in Business, extends Viswanathan’s governance argument into the realm of autonomous AI agents, warning that the same structural weaknesses now carry far higher stakes.

“The fact that this breach occurred organically without the AI agent being asked to be malicious is itself notable. Imagine what someone who actually intends to do harm can do. It’s also not terribly reassuring that the same firms we depend on for AI infrastructure, who are facing these issues, are the ones assuring enterprises that their systems with guardrails are perfectly safe,” says Padmanabhan. “We have to wake up to the fact that we’ve created capabilities that let software become as powerful as we want it to be—and then some. It’s time we seriously ask what’s needed to create an infrastructure to play defense well.”

Across the independent studies, the pattern is consistent, says Viswanathan: Voluntary compliance fails when the governed actor is more capable than the regulator. And AI systems cannot be governed by trust or good intentions alone. Oversight must be preventive, independent and capable of stopping harmful behavior before it spreads.

About the University of Maryland’s Robert H. Smith School of Business
The Robert H. Smith School of Business is an internationally recognized leader in management education and research. One of 12 colleges and schools at the University of Maryland, College Park, the Smith School offers undergraduate, full-time and flex MBA, executive MBA, online MBA, business master’s, PhD and executive education programs, as well as outreach services to the corporate community. The school offers its degree, custom and certification programs in learning locations in North America and Asia.

Contact: Greg Muraski, gmuraski@umd.edu

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SOURCE University of Maryland’s Robert H. Smith School of Business

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