APAC executives back practical AI as infrastructure grows

Technology executives across Asia-Pacific are using AI Appreciation Day 2026 to highlight the shift from hype to practical artificial intelligence deployment. They are also drawing attention to the infrastructure demands and human impacts that come with wider use of the technology.

Investment in the region's physical AI foundations is rising rapidly as cloud and infrastructure providers respond to heavier workloads. Industry leaders describe a landscape in which data centres, connectivity, and energy systems are under growing pressure from more intensive computing and storage needs.

Noah Drake, Chief Executive Officer, Xenith IG, said spending on AI-related build-outs now extends beyond the largest cloud providers to a second wave of infrastructure players.

"Across Asia-Pacific, hyperscalers alone have committed over US$160 billion to AI-related infrastructure. APAC is now also a significant investment region for neoclouds. AI Appreciation Day will encompass discussions on the ongoing advancements of AI technologies, and how companies are applying them to increase productivity and drive innovation. Doing so ethically must also be part of the conversation. But responsible AI isn't only about how the technology is applied. As AI workloads become more pervasive across all facets of work and social life, ensuring integrity of the foundations they run on - data centres, fibre connections and energy supplies - is equally critical. Ongoing investments in AI infrastructure designed for resilience will allow AI to scale successfully and sustainably in the years ahead."

Executives present this infrastructure build-out as part of a broader debate about responsible AI adoption. Governance discussions now extend beyond algorithms and datasets to the resilience and sustainability of the systems underneath them.

Resilience is also central to how companies deploy AI in customer-facing operations. Australian organisations, in particular, are dealing with more frequent disruption and fluctuating demand across sectors including banking, utilities, and retail.

Nigel Lindsay-Smith, Managing Director ANZ, NiCE, said many firms are looking to AI to manage volatility, not just reduce costs.

"This AI Appreciation Day, I'd like to highlight one of AI's most overlooked strengths: helping organisations stay resilient when demand suddenly spikes. Australian businesses are operating in an increasingly unpredictable environment. Whether it's extreme weather, cyber incidents, service outages or workforce shortages, customer demand can quickly exceed what human teams alone can manage. And in today's economic climate where customer loyalty is hard won and margins remain under pressure, many businesses simply can't afford to drop the ball when demand surges. AI provides the flexibility to absorb demand surges and ensures customers continue to receive support while human agents focus on the conversations that require empathy and complex problem-solving. In other words, AI helps organisations build the capacity to respond when they need it most. That doesn't mean AI replaces people. In fact, NiCE's recent research, the Agentic AI CX Frontline Report, shows 95% of AI initiatives fail to scale, often because organisations focus on the technology rather than how people and AI work together. That's what we should acknowledge and appreciate this AI Appreciation Day: AI's ability to complement human expertise and strengthen organisational resilience, helping businesses navigate an increasingly unpredictable world."

The cybersecurity sector is undergoing a similar shift as attackers use automation and new tools to increase speed and volume. Security teams are facing a growing stream of threats that evolve faster than traditional defences can keep up with.

Anthony Daniel, Managing Director, Australia, New Zealand and the Pacific Islands, WatchGuard Technologies, said AI has become central to how defenders respond to that acceleration.

"We have officially moved past the novelty era of artificial intelligence. Not long ago, the cyber threat landscape followed a manageable rhythm: attackers found a technique, defenders patched it, and the cycle repeated at a pace security teams could plan around. Today, that cycle no longer exists. In 2025, WatchGuard's threat intelligence recorded unique malware climbing every single quarter, culminating in a staggering 1,548% jump between Q3 and Q4 alone. Crucially, nearly a quarter of everything blocked had never been seen before, bypassing traditional signature-based tools by design. This is where AI's value becomes tangible. Its greatest contribution is not simply that it can detect threats faster, although that capability is critical. It is what that speed allows people to do. Security teams have spent years managing overwhelming alert volumes and piecing together information across disconnected systems. By absorbing repetitive work, AI gives cyber professionals something they've rarely had: time to think. Time to investigate the threats that actually matter, build stronger relationships, and make the judgment calls no algorithm can replace. AI Appreciation Day is the right moment to recognise that shift. But the deeper impact may be cultural. AI is encouraging organisations to rethink how people and technology work together. When it takes on speed, scale, and repetition, human defenders are left to bring what machines cannot: empathy, perspective, accountability, and purpose. That is the real promise of AI, not less human involvement, but a far more meaningful human contribution."