Raised on AI: New Zoom research reveals the rise of ‘AI natives’ in Asia Pacific

SINGAPORE, 16 October 2025 — A new study commissioned by Zoom has revealed the rise of a new class of “AI natives” in Asia Pacific (APAC) — individuals aged between 18 and 24 who grew up with early exposure* to artificial intelligence (AI) and are now active users of the technology. They have elevated expectations for AI-first experiences, but are also more demanding of the technology in their personal and professional lives. 

As this growing demographic enters the consumer market and workforce with distinct expectations shaped by AI, organisations in the region must be prepared to evolve and deliver experiences that meet these needs. Leveraging the powerful partnership of AI and humans is key for businesses to build long-term loyalty with these AI natives — whether as employees or brand consumers — for the future. 

“AI natives in the APAC region have heightened expectations for how AI powers their everyday experiences, both as customers and employees. At the same time, organisations must also recognise that non-AI natives are engaging with these technologies from a different starting point,” said Steve Rafferty, Head of EMEA and APAC, Zoom. “Loyalty in the era of AI will depend on how well and fast organisations can evolve their technology stack to address these differing expectations, and more importantly, embrace an ‘AI-plus-human’ model. This is how organisations will earn trust, drive growth, and future-proof their businesses with this up-and-coming demographic.”

Conducted by Kantar, the inaugural Zoom-commissioned study surveyed 2,551 respondents aged 18-45 across 8 markets in the APAC region, including Australia, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, South Korea, and Taiwan. The study uncovers the contrasting expectations of AI natives and non-AI natives in customer and employee experiences, explores the role AI plays in these interactions, and, more importantly, examines respondents’ outlooks on the future of AI in their personal and professional lives.

Balancing speed and empathy in CX is key for AI natives

With customer journeys becoming omnichannel by default, AI natives are raising the bar when it comes to their expectations for customer experience (CX). In fact, more than half of all respondents (53%) agreed that it is very or extremely important to be able to switch between channels during an interaction, such as from an AI agent to a human agent. 

While AI natives in APAC believe strongly in the power of AI, they are more critical of its limitations and know when to seek out alternatives. A key finding from the study, for instance, reveals that while a majority (75%) of AI natives believe businesses should offer AI chatbots and agents for faster service, 77% still want the option of escalating to a human agent during a customer interaction. This is consistent among non-AI natives (78%) in the region as well, reflecting a shared expectation for both speed and empathy. 

Human connection consistently emerged as a key differentiator. In markets like Taiwan, 39% of AI natives cited empathy and reassurance as a reason for wanting human agent support, more than triple that of non-AI natives (12%). Across the board, respondents in the region — both AI and non-AI natives — also highlighted a quality gap as one of their top drivers for wanting to escalate to a human, noting that AI responses are “often too generic or unhelpful”. This reinforces the need for human reassurance when interactions become more complex. In other words, they recognise the benefits of AI but know where it falls short, namely in terms of empathy and quality. 

“In the era of agentic AI, organisations must think strategically about where technology fits in the customer journey. It’s not about choosing between people or technology but combining the best of both. When implemented thoughtfully, AI can enhance the quality of self-service, while augmenting human agents’ roles by surfacing context, reducing friction, and enabling them to support customers when more complex issues arise. By bringing together AI efficiency and human empathy, organisations can deliver the elevated customer experience AI natives in APAC now expect and are increasingly demanding,” added Rafferty.

Universal adoption of AI at work, but with differing expectations

In the workplace, both AI natives and non-AI natives across the region agree that AI is now part of everyday work life. Only 3% of respondents across APAC say they do not use AI at work. While everyday use cases overlap (e.g., writing and editing, translating documents from another language), AI natives leverage AI more for high-order tasks like idea generation and brainstorming. Comparatively, non-AI natives rely on AI more for assistive tasks like scheduling and data analysis. 

The majority of respondents across APAC (78%) also agree that their employers should provide access to AI tools to equip them for the digital world ahead. Out of the markets surveyed, this sentiment is highest in Indonesia (86%). In Korea, the expectation gap between groups is most pronounced, with 90% of AI natives versus 74% of non-AI natives stating that access to AI tools is important.

However, access alone is not enough. Among those already using AI at work, AI natives are more critical and demanding than their non-AI native counterparts. While both groups share top concerns, such as data privacy and the accuracy of AI-generated outputs, AI natives are more likely to scrutinise further, raising issues of transparency and ethics as well. When asked about their biggest frustrations with AI at work, close to half of AI natives (42%) pointed to the amount of manual correction required after using AI tools, compared to 34% of non-AI natives. 

They are also more sensitive to inefficiency and care about how technology fits into their existing workflows. In Hong Kong, the gap is widest, with 70% of AI natives citing tool-switching as a drag on performance versus 48% of non-AI natives. For those who have yet to adopt AI at work, AI natives (36%) across the region are twice as likely to adopt AI when it is integrated into workflows they already use compared to non-AI natives (16%).

This highlights a crucial distinction between the two groups, underscoring a clear imperative for businesses to adopt a tailored approach to AI implementation in the workplace. AI natives in APAC might be eager adopters, but they also hold the technology to a higher standard with expectations for reliability, responsible deployment, and seamless integration as the baseline. For non-AI natives, organisations should provide more structured onboarding and training, as well as reassurance on their fears around data, to help them avoid falling behind in the AI race. 

Methodology*

The above study is based on data from an online survey commissioned by Zoom and conducted by Kantar from 4 July to 22 July 2025, among 2,551 respondents aged 18-45 in Australia, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, South Korea, and Taiwan. Respondents were screened for three key criteria to be considered AI natives — that is, 18-24 years old, currently use and have some form of knowledge about AI, and have had early exposure to the technology. In the questionnaire, smartphone usage is used as a proxy indicator to ascertain early exposure to AI, as smartphones contain some form of AI applications (e.g., social media algorithms, predictive text/autocomplete). The individual must use smartphones before the age of 15 years old to be considered to have early exposure, and this age indicator is based on an aggregate of smartphone penetration rates across our target markets.