Study Highlight: AI Adoption Among PR Professionals in Asia 2025

Research

Study Highlight: AI Adoption Among PR Professionals in Asia 2025

by Telum Media

19 November 2025 9:06 AM

4 mins read

One Asia Communications, a network of independent agencies across the Asia Pacific region, has released a regional white paper titled, "AI Adoption Among PR Professionals in Asia 2025". The study unveils how AI is reshaping communications in Asia, covering insights including perception, adoption as well as challenges and ethics in AI usage.

The research, conducted in partnership with RB Consulting, surveyed close to 300 in-house communications professionals across 12 Asian markets: Singapore, Mainland China / Hong Kong, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Thailand, Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, Vietnam, Cambodia, and India.

How PR professionals view AI
Approximately 58 per cent of respondents view AI positively, while 40 per cent hold a neutral perspective. Optimism is particularly strong in markets such as Indonesia and Vietnam, while markets like Japan and South Korea exhibit more caution. The study suggests that the narrative in the latter markets has matured beyond novelty into strategic evaluation, pointing to the need for governance frameworks, ethical guidelines, and clarity around human-AI collaboration.

The study finds the optimistic yet cautious sentiment to be an indicator that most PR professionals are ready to invest in AI tools, but believe that outcomes depend on how AI is used, flagged, and managed.

AI Awareness and adoption
Though awareness and interest in AI has spread widely across the region, adoption remains uneven and limited. Over half of respondents (51 per cent) use AI daily and are categorised as “proficient” in the study, while 39 per cent have limited experience, often experimenting with free tools.

Across the region, AI tools are mainly used for research, content creation, trend and sentiment analysis, and campaign measurement. Markets like Malaysia and India show broader integration in media analysis and content, while Hong Kong is more cautious – which the study suggests may be due to time constraints, budget limitations, or a lack of clear frameworks. The findings indicate that AI use remains mostly individual, without institutional guidance or formal training.

PR role transformation
The study observed that AI has shifted PR’s role. Corporate communications departments use AI for sentiment tracking, message consistency, and stakeholder engagement - as seen in Taiwan, where it supports quicker and more informed decision-making.

Marketing communications teams, meanwhile, lead AI experimentation in campaign ideation, content personalisation, and audience insights. In the Philippines, PR teams are beginning to adopt AI-driven analytics to guide outreach and identify emerging media trends.

The research suggests that higher-level PR skills, including storytelling, strategic thinking, ethical decision-making, and stakeholder interpretation, are becoming increasingly essential as AI automates repetitive work.

Barriers to adoption
60 per cent of respondents cited adopting AI and new technology as the biggest challenge they anticipate in the next two years. The findings suggest that while communicators across Asia are optimistic about AI’s potential, many still grapple with the speed, structure, and cost of implementation. 42 per cent cited measuring communication success, while 41 per cent cited managing misinformation and disinformation as key concerns.

The challenge lies in bridging the measurement gap: communicators must move beyond counting coverage to understanding how visibility translates in an AI-indexed world, where reputation is shaped as much by what algorithms surface as by what journalists write.

Bridging the skills and trust gap
A lack of structured training and formal programmes remains one of the most persistent barriers to confident AI adoption. The study emphasises the need for training that integrates AI into strategic planning, not just execution. Four key priorities emerge: prompt engineering, ethical use, strategic integration, and measurement and evaluation.

Strategic integration of AI would ensure that AI is not merely adopted for convenience but leveraged as a strategic partner.

Ethics and accountability
While AI enhances efficiency and creativity, it also introduces risks around bias, misinformation, and data privacy. Based on the survey, most professionals agree on three key ethical priorities: transparency, human oversight, and data protection.

The study suggests that communicators view themselves not just as users of AI but as gatekeepers of accuracy and trust. As such, clear governance frameworks and ethical review processes are needed to ensure AI strengthens rather than compromises the trust that defines meaningful communication.

Key takeaways for communicators

Move beyond merely adapting: Lead AI adoption to serving trust, truth, and human connection.
Ensure reliable and structured content is accessible to AI systems.
Operate AI usage within the boundaries of transparency, accountability, and trust.
Provide accessible training and support, and establish a redefined understanding of communications success.
Build technological fluency, ethical clarity and strategic vision to advance the profession forward.

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Study Highlight: AI trust higher among Chinese public than in the West, Edelman poll finds

In 2025, artificial intelligence sits at the centre of growing global divides. Across economies and generations, engagement with AI is revealing widening gaps in trust, understanding, and opportunity.

Chinese AI trust landscape
The 2025 Edelman Trust Barometer Flash Poll: Trust and Artificial Intelligence at a Crossroads reveals that respondents in Mainland China demonstrates high trust in AI compared to developed markets, including the US, UK, Brazil and Germany.

87 per cent of Chinese respondents say they trust AI, a figure that increased by 9 per cent between November 2023 and October 2025. This compares with trust levels of 32 per cent in the US, 36 per cent in the UK, and 39 per cent in Germany.

Strong embrace of AI adoption
High trust in AI among Chinese respondents also translates into their everyday use. 60 per cent of Chinese employees use AI weekly or more, while 49 per cent say they embrace its growing use, compared with just 18 per cent who reject it.

Acceptance is particularly strong in sectors shaping future growth. 43 per cent of financial services workers and 55 per cent of technology sector employees report embracing AI in their work, highlighting how quickly the technology is becoming embedded in professional life.

Optimism over fear of disruption
Unlike Western markets, where AI is often framed as a threat, Chinese respondents remain broadly optimistic. At least 67 per cent believe generative AI will help rather than harm society, including in areas such as climate change, work life, mental health, social cohesion, and economic equity.

Fear of economic displacement is notably low. Only 26 per cent worry that people like them will be left behind by AI, the lowest level among all surveyed markets. Even among lower-income respondents, concern rises to just 36 per cent.

A broad ecosystem of trust
Mainland China’s confidence in AI extends across all categories of AI communicators. 87 per cent trust 'people like themselves' to speak truthfully about AI, 88 per cent trust friends and family, and 85 per cent trust coworkers.

Trust in institutions and authority figures is similarly high, including 87 per cent for scientists and AI researchers, 83 per cent for CEOs, and 84 per cent for journalists and technology influencers.

More than 70 per cent of respondents are comfortable with their employer's use of AI - the highest rate amongst countries surveyed, while 60 per cent are comfortable with the media's AI usage.

Trust issues outweigh other barriers
Despite high overall trust, some barriers to AI adoption exist in Mainland China. Among infrequent users, 43 per cent cite trust concerns such as data protection, 28 per cent worry about how data will be protected, and 19 per cent are concerned about how their data will be used. Issues of motivation and access affect 40 per cent, while discomfort with technology is cited by just 15 per cent.

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