Concern comes despite optimism that AI can improve their work
More than half of adults in Malaysia are optimistic about AI's impact on their work, but are worried that the technology will replace them in the next few years, according to a report.
The Ipsos AI Monitor 2025 recently surveyed over 23,000 adults across 30 countries, including 500 adults in Malaysia, between March and April to determine what they think about AI.
It found that 54% of Malaysian adults believe that the increased use of AI will make their job better in the next three to five years, higher than the 39% recorded a year ago.
But at the same time, 63% of adults in Malaysia also think that AI will replace their current job in the next five years, up slightly from 62% last year.
"This trend suggests a growing willingness to integrate AI into the workplace. However, this optimism is also accompanied by its own anxiety, as 63% of Malaysians worry that AI could potentially replace their current job within the next three to five years," Ipsos Malaysia said in a statement.
Malaysians' sentiments are shared by other adults in Southeast Asian markets in the Ipsos report.
According to the findings, more than half of adults in the other Southeast Asian countries believe the growing use of AI will make their job better in the next three to five years:
However, at least half of them also think that the technology could replace their current job in the next five years:
These sentiments in Southeast Asia are reflected across the world, where employees fear for their jobs as employers announce reductions as a result of the technology.
In Malaysia, former Malaysian Human Resources Minister V. Sivakumar said in 2023 that the country needs to retrain 50% of the country's workforce following warnings that 4.5 million Malaysians could lose their jobs in the wake of AI.
"The need to improve skills is not only for career advancement or change, but to stay in the job," Sivakumar previously said.
The country also launched a national AI office last year that aims to "accelerate AI adoption, foster innovation, and ensure ethical development of artificial intelligence."
More than three in four Malaysians (76%) trust that their government will regulate AI responsibly, higher than the global average of 54%, according to the Ipsos report.
"This presents a crucial opportunity for Malaysia to strike a balanced path — embracing innovation while safeguarding public trust and workforce resilience," the report read.