Enterprises across Asia Pacific are accelerating the shift from artificial intelligence experimentation to execution, with 96% planning to increase AI investments over the next 12 months, according to the Lenovo CIO Playbook 2026 commissioned by Lenovo with insights from IDC.
The study shows average AI spending is expected to rise by 15% in 2026, covering generative AI, agentic AI, cloud-based AI services, on-premises infrastructure and AI security tools. ASEAN+ economies mirror the regional trend, with the same proportion of organisations planning higher AI investment, underlining AI’s growing role in enterprise competitiveness.
“When 96% of organizations are planning a 15% on average increase in AI investment, it tells us that AI decisions are now being made at the core of enterprise strategy,” said Sumir Bhatia, President, Asia Pacific, ISG, Lenovo.
The report indicates that CIO priorities have shifted from validating AI business cases to outcomes-led adoption.
About 88% of organisations in Asia Pacific expect positive returns from AI in 2026, with an average anticipated return of 2.8 times the amount invested.
However, scaling AI beyond pilot projects remains a challenge, highlighting the importance of governance, operating models and lifecycle management.
AI adoption is also expanding beyond IT departments. Two-thirds of organisations in Asia Pacific and ASEAN+ are already piloting or systematically adopting AI, with deployments extending into customer service, marketing, operations and finance.
Half of surveyed organisations reported that non-IT departments are now funding AI initiatives.
Interest in agentic AI is expected to double over the next year, although only 10% of organisations consider themselves ready to scale it.
“Agentic AI represents a fundamental shift in how intelligence is embedded into the enterprise,” said Fan Ho, Executive Director and General Manager, Asia Pacific, Solutions and Services Group, Lenovo.
The Playbook also found that hybrid AI architectures have become the default model, with more than 80% of ASEAN+ organisations combining on-premises, edge and cloud environments to address performance, security and regulatory needs.
