SOUTH-EAST Asia has emerged as one of the regions most concerned about artificial intelligence (AI) taking away their jobs, with Malaysians found to be more worried than others in the world but less than some of its regional neighbours, according to Gallup International End of Year Survey 2025.
The global survey which covered more than 60,000 respondents across 61 countries, found that 36% of respondents globally are worried that AI could replace their own jobs, while 46% are not worried, resulting in a global net worried score of -9.
As it zooms in on South-East Asia, the concern is significantly higher, with the region recording a net worried score of +27, led by the Philippines (+61) and Indonesia (+36).
Malaysia recorded +9, placing it below its more anxious regional neighbours but above Thailand (+2), Japan (-23), Australia (-21) and the global average.
Malaysia data is based on approximately 1,000 respondents, shares Malaysia’s independent data provider Central Force Insights, which is also Malaysia’s exclusive Worldwide Independent Network (WiN) country representative and Gallup International data provider.
Separate findings from the 2026 WiN World AI Index also suggest that Malaysia’s AI job concerns are emerging in a high-adoption environment – Malaysia ranked sixth globally in the index, with its AI Index score rising from 60.5 in 2025 to 67.4 in 2026.
However, Malaysia’s Comfort score fell from 42.5 to 38.7, making it the country’s weakest AI dimension.
Central Force Insights chief executive officer See Toh Wai Yu says AI anxiety in Malaysia should not be read as resistance to technology, but as concern over whether workers can transition quickly enough as roles, tasks and skills begin to change.
“Across Asean, the data shows that AI anxiety is not uniform. Countries may be moving quickly on AI adoption, but public confidence depends on whether workers believe they have the skills, support and opportunities to benefit from the transition,” notes See in a statement.
The findings also reflect a broader global divide; it found that emerging economies are generally more anxious about AI job displacement than advanced economies, while lower-income and lower-education groups show higher levels of concern than more affluent and highly educated respondents.
Central Force Insights says for Malaysia, this makes workforce readiness an important part of the AI conversation: “As AI becomes more embedded in business operations, employers and policymakers will need to address not only adoption, but also trust, transparency, reskilling and realistic transition pathways for workers.”
