Why Gen AI demands more than digital upgrades for Asian businesses

Rakshit Ghura, VP and General Manager of Digital Workplace Solutions at Lenovo

Businesses in the Asia-Pacific region are set to become global leaders in Gen AI adoption because of their dynamic economies and government support for innovation.

However, whilst the ambition is clear, Lenovo’s recent report – Reinventing Workplace Productivity, part of Lenovo’s Work Reborn Research Series 2025 – has revealed a key challenge. 

Whilst Gen AI is seen as a game-changer, most workplaces rely on outdated IT systems not built for AI scalability. They are simply not ready or equipped to embrace the technology’s power or benefits.

Lenovo surveyed 600 global IT leaders, including 150 across Asia-Pacific, to understand how they are implementing Gen AI.
The findings were clear – 79% of IT leaders globally believe Gen AI will allow employees to focus on more meaningful and higher-impact work, but fewer than half believe their current digital infrastructure can support this transformation.

Even more striking, 91% of IT leaders in Asia-Pacific said that only a complete overhaul of their digital workplace will enable them to realise the full potential of these tools.

The Business Benefits of Gen AI

The survey highlighted three key areas where Gen AI can create a tangible impact for businesses in the region:

• Enhanced collaboration: AI-powered tools such as virtual co-authoring and real-time translations can break down barriers, enabling seamless teamwork across geographies and languages.
• Creative empowerment: By automating repetitive tasks, Gen AI can free employees to focus on more strategic, innovative work and creative problem-solving.
• Productivity boosts: Gen AI-driven insights can streamline workflows, improve efficiency and drive operational efficiency.

Despite these benefits, many are struggling to implement Gen AI effectively – especially in areas of personalisation, user experience and automation.

Nearly half (49%) of IT leaders surveyed claimed improving the employee experience (EX) is their top priority, with personalised technology being a key strategy to achieve this.

In Asia-Pacific – where workforces are increasingly multigenerational, culturally diverse and digitally-savvy – a ‘one size fits all’ approach to technology no longer works, particularly with the influx of Gen Z employees demanding personalised and seamless technology experiences.

However, achieving personalisation is challenging. Whilst most IT leaders in India (74%) and Asia (65%) recognise the importance of personalisation, few possess the necessary tools to deliver it. Half of the respondents in Asia and India claimed their security measures were a barrier. 

Others said they had limited ability to configure devices and applications (51% in Asia, 40% in India) or meet diverse user needs (38% in India, 37% in Asia) and having outdated devices was considered a challenge for over a third of respondents across Asia-Pacific.

Embracing Gen AI offers a solution. Through persona-based configurations and AI-driven profiling, it can tailor devices, software, and workflows to individual roles and preferences, increasing employee satisfaction and performance. 

Gen AI can also automate IT support, enabling businesses to resolve technical issues faster, keeping operations running smoothly and allowing staff to focus on higher-value work.

But technology alone isn’t the answer.

To fully capitalise on Gen AI for maximum productivity and innovation, businesses must reimagine the structure of their digital workplace – from the ground up. 

IT leaders need to take bold decisions and move beyond surface-level upgrades. They need to collaborate with executive teams and align their digital workplace strategy with business goals and fundamentally rethink how Gen AI can drive value and differentiation at scale. 

Core Recommendations

Here are Lenovo’s three recommendations on how to achieve these goals:

1. Simplify and personalise the employee experience by tailoring tools, workflows, and environments to individual roles, working styles, and cultural expectations.
2. Automate IT operations with Gen AI to better manage devices, deliver scalable support, and meet the needs of a hybrid workforce.
3. Redesign workflows to create strategic value – this requires reimagining how work gets done and using AI not just to automate tasks, but to enhance creativity, drive innovation, and increase competitiveness.

Rethinking IT for Gen AI Integration

Organisations across the Asia-Pacific region are on the cusp of a significant transformation. However, realising the full potential of Gen AI requires moving beyond superficial technology upgrades and taking an ambitious and strategic approach to reinventing workplace IT. Seizing this opportunity calls for a strategic rethink of how work is structured, supported, and experienced. 

Such a move is vital in a region characterised by cultural diversity, rapid digital acceleration, and the evolving expectations of the growing Gen Z workforce.

But the businesses that lead this shift won’t just keep pace with change – they will future-proof their business and set the standards for what comes next. By embedding Gen AI into core workplace systems, organisations can unlock its full potential, significantly empowering their workforces and driving the next phase of innovation across the region. This transformation will be vital in shaping the future of work in Asia-Pacific.

"Reinventing Workplace Productivity" is the first report in the Lenovo Work Reborn Research Series 2025, which will be published throughout the year. Learn more about Work Reborn here.