Press & Media
Press kit
Materials for journalists, partners, and policy bodies covering the AIR APAC Mid-Market Readiness Index and related research. All figures below are from the Q1 2026 publication and are correct as of the date the dataset was finalised.
Boilerplate
The Center for AI Readiness, Asia Pacific (AIR APAC) is an independent, vendor-agnostic research institution. AIR APAC publishes the Mid-Market Readiness Index, the regional benchmark of AI readiness across mid-market enterprises in Asia Pacific. The Index is built on observable behavioural signals – cloud platform detection, hiring activity, technology stack maturity, and analysed strategic communications – rather than self-reported surveys. AIR APAC does not accept technology-vendor funding.
Headline statistics, Q1 2026
| Statistic | Value | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Companies scored | 510 | Q1 2026 Index |
| Markets scored | 5 (SG, AU, MY, ID, TH) | Q1 2026 Index |
| Sectors covered | 6 | Q1 2026 Index |
| Mean Total Readiness Score (TRS) | 17.3 / 100 | Q1 2026 Index |
| Maximum TRS observed | 73.2 (Secretlab, Singapore) | Q1 2026 Index |
| Pacesetter tier (full sample) | 51 companies (10%) | Q1 2026 Index |
| Low-confidence rating | 357 companies (70%) | Q1 2026 Index |
| High-confidence rating | 28 companies (5.5%) | Q1 2026 Index |
| AI hiring zero-score | 94.5% of all companies | Q1 2026 Index |
| Australia Pacesetter rate (confident subset) | 25.9% | Q1 2026 Index |
| Malaysia / Thailand Pacesetter rate (confident subset) | 2% each | Q1 2026 Index |
| TRS / DVS correlation | r = 0.86 | Q1 2026 Index |
Quotable findings
- The Asymmetric Visibility finding: 70% of mid-market APAC companies do not produce enough publicly observable signal to be assessed with confidence. Information opacity is the first-order readiness problem.
- The pipeline finding: 94.5% of all 510 companies score zero on AI hiring activity. Even Pacesetters average only 30 / 100 on talent signals. The talent pipeline is broken at every readiness tier.
- The geographic divide: Australia and Singapore pair high readiness with high visibility; Thailand and Malaysia pair low readiness with low visibility. Cross-market differences are a composite of capability and observability and cannot be fully disentangled in the current dataset.
- The data desert: Any market sizing that treats “no data” as “no capability” undercounts the APAC mid-market by 40-60% in Indonesia, Thailand, and Malaysia. Multi-source intelligence is the minimum requirement for accurate coverage in this region.
Downloads
- Q1 2026 Findings Report (PDF, 39 pages) – Asymmetric Visibility, six findings
- Bridging the AI Readiness Gap in Asia Pacific Mid-Market Enterprises (PDF, full white paper) – methodology, market and sector results
- Methodology hub – three-layer scoring, confidence framework, tier vocabulary
Charts available for republication
All charts below are released under attribution – Source: AIR APAC Mid-Market Readiness Index, Q1 2026.
The confidence pyramid
Market comparison
TRS distribution
AI hiring activity by tier
ERP score by tier
Pacesetter share by sector
Spokesperson
Indhran Indhraseghar – Founder, AIR APAC. Indhran can comment on AI readiness across Asia Pacific, mid-market governance, the Asymmetric Visibility finding, and policy implications for governments and partners.
For interview requests and quotes: press@airapac.org · +65 6818 3478
Republication terms
- Charts and statistics may be reproduced with attribution: Source: AIR APAC Mid-Market Readiness Index, Q1 2026.
- Direct quotes from the white paper or findings report may be used in editorial coverage with attribution.
- For commercial use, partner co-branding, or republication of full report sections, please contact press@airapac.org.