AI Adoption in Asia-Pacific Faces Significant Barriers, Value Unlocked Elsewhere

The question of what is holding companies back from "Unlocking value from AI" forms the core of a recent Channel News Asia report. This focus on barriers to artificial intelligence adoption in the Asia-Pacific region reveals a gap: while AI's potential is discussed, other sectors actively pursue value through distinct financial maneuvers.

Evidence from 2025 and 2026 indicates a different kind of "unlocking" underway. In 2026, Reuters reported that AB Foods pursued a spin-off of Primark, specifically to "unlock group's value." The same year, The Hindu detailed the Shapoorji Pallonji Group's support for Tata Sons' listing, welcoming a decision by the RBI which also aimed to "unlock value." These instances demonstrate that some entities pursue value creation through corporate restructuring and market events, rather than technological integration.

Reinforcing this pattern, CNBC in 2025 noted that Starboard focused on unlocking value from Fluor's investment in NuScale, a nuclear tech company. This suggests a strategic emphasis on optimizing existing assets and investments. Separately, the Asian Development Bank's 2026 "Asia-Pacific Climate Report" was titled "Unlocking Nature for Development," indicating a conceptual application of "unlocking" to natural resources and economic growth, distinct from enterprise-level AI implementation. These examples contrast with the AI-centric discussion.

Singapore's Temasek provides a quantifiable measure of value realization, reporting in 2026 that its portfolio grew by USD 49,000,000,000 to a record USD 518,000,000,000. This growth, cited by The Straits Times, delivered a 20-year shareholder return of 6.8%. The figures indicate that substantial value is being generated through investment strategies, irrespective of AI's direct application.

There remains an argument that focusing on financial restructuring merely optimizes existing value, whereas AI promises to create entirely new forms of it. This perspective suggests that AI's long-term impact, once barriers are overcome, could eclipse gains from asset spin-offs or portfolio adjustments. However, the available data from 2025 and 2026 shows tangible, immediate value being realized through established financial and strategic actions. The narrative around AI for Asia-Pacific companies largely remains aspirational in the face of identified hurdles, while "unlocking value" is already a practical, measurable outcome in other domains.

The outcome for AI adoption will depend on whether companies can effectively translate theoretical benefits into demonstrable financial returns, addressing the identified constraints that prevent them from leveraging this technology as other entities are already leveraging their assets and investments.