In AI preparedness (AIPI), Thailand ranks 52nd out of 170 countries and third in ASEAN, following Singapore and Malaysia. This positions Thailand ahead of many peers and reflects its growing digital foundations. However, in UNDP’s Human Development Index (HDI) - a composite measure of each country’s health, education, and GDP, Thailand positions 76th out of 193 countries. 

 “This gap between AI readiness and human development indicates that while Thailand is emerging as a digital leader, its people may not yet be positioned to keep pace with AI, to fully benefit from its opportunities, or to be protected from the disruptions it may create,” said Niamh Collier-Smith, UNDP Resident Representative in Thailand. “Thailand must continue investing in people through inclusive education, digital skills, and systems that protect communities from emerging risks, so that AI supports a fairer and more sustainable future for everyone.”

For much of the last half-century, many lower-income countries have gradually closed the gap with higher income countries through advances in technology, trade, and development. This “era of convergence” brought significant improvements in health, education, and income. The report warns that without deliberate and inclusive policy choices, AI may now cause the erosion of these convergence gains.

Digital readiness varies significantly across the region. Countries such as Singapore, South Korea, and China are making substantial investments in AI infrastructure and skills, while others are still working to strengthen foundational digital access and literacy. Building these digital capabilities will be critical to ensuring that all countries can benefit from the opportunities AI presents. 

Limited infrastructure, skills, computing power, and governance capacity constrain the potential benefits of AI while amplifying risks, including job displacement, data exclusion, and indirect impacts such as rising global energy and water demands from AI-intensive systems.

The report also highlights the link between AI-related skills and basic data-organization and analysis skills. It reveals that one in four firms in the Asia-Pacific region expects job losses, while only one in four people in urban areas — and fewer than one in five in rural areas — can perform basic spreadsheet tasks, which are essential tools for organizing and analyzing data. Meanwhile, only around five percent of people in low-income countries use AI tools, and in many contexts, fewer than one in twenty people can carry out basic spreadsheet work.

Women and young people face particular vulnerabilities. Jobs held by women are nearly twice as exposed to automation, and youth employment is already declining in high-AI-exposure roles, especially for those aged 22–25, threatening early-career pathways. 

Looking at the opportunities AI is transforming governance and public services across the region. Bangkok’s Traffy Fondue platform has processed nearly 600,000 citizen reports, enabling city agencies to respond more efficiently to everyday problems. Singapore’s Moments of Life service has reduced paperwork for new parents from about 120 minutes to 15 minutes. In Beijing, digital twins, a virtual representation that serves as the real-time digital counterpart of a physical object or system, are supporting urban planning and flood management. These examples show the potential of AI to enhance public administration and service delivery. 

Yet only a limited number of countries have comprehensive AI regulations, and by 2027, more than 40% of global AI-related data breaches may stem from misuse of generative AI, underscoring the need for robust governance frameworks. This is a key area of “catch-up” for many countries in the region and elsewhere.