TL;DR
- Ipsos published the Thailand Edition of Global Trends 2026 on 9 November 2026: 74% of Thais see more benefits than drawbacks in AI, versus 55% globally.
- 80% of employed Thais say AI tools saved them time at work in the past year; 77% feel excited about AI and 61% feel nervous.
- Only 35% of Thais consider AI chatbots trustworthy, 47% trust companies using AI with their data, and 85% want AI use disclosed.
- The Ipsos summary page does not state sample size or fieldwork dates and gives no global benchmark for the chatbot or disclosure figures.
Ipsos published the Thailand Edition of its Global Trends 2026 study on 9 November 2026, and the AI numbers stand out: 74% of Thais say AI brings more benefits than drawbacks, against 55% globally. The same report finds that only 35% of Thais consider AI chatbots trustworthy and 85% want products and services to disclose when AI is being used. For Thai marketers, that combination matters more than either number alone. People here are open to AI, and they are also asking brands to be honest about it.
The report, titled "Ipsos Global Trends 2026: The Search for Silver Linings", is the Thai cut of Ipsos's global trends programme. Ipsos summarised it on its Thailand site in a post called "The Search for Silver Linings: How Thai Consumers Are Finding Ways to Live Better in Uncertainty", with a downloadable full report and press releases in English and Thai. This article sticks to the figures Ipsos put on that page.
What Ipsos found about Thais and AI
Ipsos groups the AI findings under a dimension it calls "Connected, Yet Seeking Control". The starting point is how dependent Thais already are on being online. According to Ipsos, 81% of Thais cannot imagine life without the internet, an increase of 7 percentage points over two years.
On AI specifically, Ipsos reports these Thailand figures:
- 74% of Thais see more benefits than drawbacks in AI, compared with 55% globally.
- 80% of employed Thais say AI tools have saved them time at work over the past year.
- 77% feel excited about AI, while 61% also feel nervous about it.
The excitement and nervousness figures add up to well over 100%, which tells you something on its own. A large share of Thais hold both feelings at the same time. Ipsos does not break out how big that overlap is on its summary page, so the exact size of the "excited but nervous" group is not stated.
Note the wording of the work-time figure as well. Ipsos says 80% of employed Thais, not 80% of all Thais. That figure is about people who have jobs. It should not be quoted as a general population number.
The trust gap: disclosure, data and chatbots
The second half of the AI section is where the study gets more useful for brands. Ipsos writes that consumers want technology to make their lives easier, but they also expect transparency and responsible use. Three numbers carry that point:
- 85% believe products and services should disclose when AI is being used.
- Only 47% trust companies using AI to protect their personal information.
- Just 35% consider AI chatbots trustworthy.
Put next to the 74% who see AI's benefits, these figures describe a market that likes the technology in general but is wary of how companies deploy it. Fewer than half trust a company with their data once AI is involved. Roughly one in three trusts the chatbot itself.
Ipsos writes on its Thailand page that the opportunity for businesses "is not simply to adopt new technologies, but to make them genuinely useful, trustworthy and human-centred." That is the study's framing, not an added interpretation.
The table below collects the AI and digital figures Ipsos published for Thailand. Only the AI-benefits question has a global comparison on the Ipsos page.
| Ipsos Global Trends 2026 measure (Thailand) | Share of Thais |
|---|---|
| See more benefits than drawbacks in AI (global: 55%) | 74% |
| Employed Thais saying AI tools saved them time at work in the past year | 80% |
| Feel excited about AI / feel nervous about AI | 77% / 61% |
| Want products and services to disclose when AI is used | 85% |
| Consider AI chatbots trustworthy | 35% |
| Trust companies using AI to protect their personal information | 47% |
| Cannot imagine life without the internet (up 7 points in two years) | 81% |
The other four dimensions in the Thailand Edition
AI is one of five dimensions in the report. The rest matter for campaign planning because they describe the mood that AI-driven marketing lands in.
Present is Precious
Three in four Thais (75%) agree that the important thing is to enjoy life today, while tomorrow will take care of itself. Ipsos says the view holds across generations, from Baby Boomers at 79% to Gen Z at 80%. The wish to slow down is growing too: 83% wish they could slow the pace of their lives, up from 78% in 2025, and 87% would like to experience living in different parts of the world.
Self-Care Imperative
Almost all Thais (96%) believe they need to do more to look after themselves physically. Ipsos also reports that 52% expect to live to 100 and 73% believe mental and physical health are equally important. On control, 85% would like more say over decisions about their health and 89% recognise they need to do more to look after their mental wellbeing. Ipsos says mental health and stress remain the number one health concern among Thais.
Values Over Image
71% of Thais tend to buy brands that reflect their personal values, and 61% are generally willing to spend extra for a brand whose image appeals to them. Both figures have fallen over the past two years, by 8 and 9 percentage points respectively. Ipsos reads this as brand image losing some of its pull, with relevance now having to show up in products and experiences rather than in communication alone.
Trust Deficit
84% of Thais worry that government and public services will do too little to help people in the years ahead. On the business side, 81% are more likely to trust a new product if it comes from a brand they already know, and 87% agree that businesses have a duty to contribute to society, not just to make profits.
Optimism is personal, not national
The report opens with a pressure figure: 85% of Thais agree the world today is changing too fast, up 6 percentage points in two years. Even so, looking at the next 12 months, 72% of Thais are optimistic about the future of themselves and their families. Only 48% are optimistic about Thailand's future and 41% about the future of the world.
Ipsos ties the five dimensions together with one theme, the desire for greater control over what matters. It describes four shifts: from worrying about tomorrow to making today meaningful, from managing health problems to taking ownership of wellbeing, from being constantly connected to using technology purposefully, and from buying into brand image to seeking personal relevance. Its three priorities for brands are build resilience, enable agency and make progress visible.
Why the AI numbers matter for search and chat
The Ipsos study does not measure search behaviour, AI search engines or ads, so nothing below is an Ipsos finding. It is a reading of what the figures imply for digital marketing in Thailand.
First, a population where 74% see net benefits in AI and 80% of workers already save time with AI tools is a population that will use AI assistants to look things up. That raises the value of being the source an AI answer engine quotes. If AI tools summarise a category for a Thai shopper, the brands whose pages are clear, factual and easy to cite have a better chance of appearing. That is the job of generative engine optimisation (GEO), and it is a reasonable response to an audience this open to AI.
Second, the 85% disclosure figure is a warning about how AI shows up in a brand's own channels. If a product description, a customer reply or an ad is AI-generated, a large majority of Thais say they want to be told. Content that is quietly machine-written and then discovered can damage the trust the other figures say is already thin.
Third, the 35% chatbot-trust figure is the one customer-service teams should look at hardest. The Ipsos data does not say chatbots should be removed. It does say only about a third of Thais trust them, which argues for a clear, fast route to a human when a conversation gets complicated. Ipsos's own "enable agency" priority points the same way: give people the choice.
What this means for Thai marketers
- Treat AI visibility as a real channel. With AI acceptance at 74% in Thailand, review whether your key pages answer common questions directly, with figures and named sources, so AI tools can cite them. An AI SEO review is a practical place to start.
- Label AI use where customers meet it. 85% want disclosure, so say plainly when a reply, a recommendation or an image was produced with AI.
- Design chatbots with a visible exit to a person. With 35% trust in AI chatbots, test how many steps it takes a customer in your LINE or web chat to reach a human, and cut that number.
- Be careful with personal data claims. Only 47% trust companies using AI to protect their information, so explain what data you collect and why in plain language.
- Match messaging to the mood. The "enjoy today" (75%), slow-life (83%) and mental-wellbeing (89%) figures give creative teams sourced themes to work from.
What the Ipsos page does not tell you
The summary page is short on method. It does not state the Thai sample size, the fieldwork dates, the survey mode or the age range on the page itself. Ipsos links a full Thailand Edition report and press releases, and anyone planning to quote the figures in a pitch should check the methodology there first.
The page also gives only one global comparison for the AI questions, the 55% benefits figure. There are no global or regional benchmarks for disclosure, chatbot trust or time saved, so it would be wrong to claim Thailand is higher or lower than the world on those. Finally, the study measures attitudes, not behaviour. Saying a chatbot is untrustworthy is not the same as refusing to use one, and the report does not measure conversion or purchase impact.
FAQ
What share of Thais think AI's benefits outweigh its drawbacks?
74% of Thais see more benefits than drawbacks in AI, according to Ipsos Global Trends 2026 Thailand Edition, compared with 55% globally. Ipsos published the figure on its Thailand site on 9 November 2026.
Do Thai consumers trust AI chatbots?
Only a minority do: 35% of Thais consider AI chatbots trustworthy, according to Ipsos. The same study found 47% trust companies using AI to protect their personal information, and 85% want products and services to disclose when AI is used.
Does AI actually save Thai workers time?
80% of employed Thais say AI tools have saved them time at work over the past year, Ipsos reports. This is a self-reported figure among people in work, not a measured productivity gain and not a figure for the whole population.
What sample size and dates did the Ipsos Thailand study use?
The Ipsos summary page does not state the sample size or fieldwork dates. Ipsos links a downloadable Thailand Edition report and press releases on the same page, which is where method details should be checked before quoting the figures.
Should Thai brands stop using chatbots because of this data?
The study does not say that. It shows low trust in AI chatbots (35%) alongside strong general acceptance of AI (74%), which supports keeping automation for simple tasks while making it easy for customers to reach a person, in line with Ipsos's "enable agency" priority.
The bottom line
Ipsos's Thailand data describes an audience that is ahead of the world on AI acceptance and cautious about how companies use it. The brands that do well with that audience will likely be the ones that show up clearly in AI answers, tell people when AI is involved, and keep a human within reach. If you want help checking how your brand appears in AI search, or how your chat journeys hold up, Relevant Audience can review it with you.
