Thailand officially handed over the National AI Roadmap for Sustainable Productivity of Industries, placing measurable productivity gains at the center of its artificial intelligence transformation agenda. The event took place in Bangkok on Aug. 28, 2026.

The handover occurred during the Thailand Productivity Forum 2026, themed "Twin Transformation – AI × Productivity × Net Zero." APO Secretary-General Dr. Indra Pradana Singawinata presented the roadmap to Duangdow Khawjaroen, Deputy Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Industry. The initiative emphasizes that AI adoption must be judged by tangible value creation for firms and workers rather than technology acquisition alone.

Strategic Context and Data

The roadmap addresses a slowdown in labor productivity. The APO Productivity Database 2025 reports that Thai labor-productivity growth averaged 2.1% during 2015–2023, down from 4.8% during 2010–2015. Total factor productivity averaged zero growth over the same recent period. With population aging constraining labor-force expansion, the strategy aims to increase value per hour worked.

Roadmap Targets for 2030

Prepared by the Thailand Productivity Institute (FTPI) and APO with technical support from FutureLab, the roadmap sets specific quantitative goals for the Ministry of Industry. These targets are based on 23 stakeholder interviews and strategy workshops.

• Increase productivity by 15% across specified MIND priority sectors by 2030.
• Achieve at least 60% AI adoption among large enterprises and 40% among SMEs in key sectors.
• Launch at least 80 targeted AI pilot projects, with 30% scaled into full production.
• Certify at least 50,000 industrial workers and 5,000 AI specialists by 2030.

Current Adoption Landscape

A 2024 ETDA–NSTDA AI Readiness study of 580 organizations revealed a gap between intention and implementation. Only 17.8% reported already using AI, while 73.3% planned future adoption. The roadmap aims to bridge this gap through use-case selection, data readiness, and workflow redesign.

Proof Points and Implementation

Midea’s Si Racha facility serves as a reference case. Added to the World Economic Forum’s Global Lighthouse Network in 2025 after deploying 72 digital and AI solutions, the plant reported:

• 43% reduction in order lead time.
• 32% decline in customer complaints.
• 62% improvement in employee qualification speed.

Duangdow Khawjaroen linked digital transformation with green transformation, highlighting practical applications such as predictive maintenance, energy-efficiency optimization, and real-time quality inspection. She stressed that "good AI begins with good data," referencing the ministry’s i-Industry and i-SingleForm systems.

What the Numbers Show

The divergence between high intent and low current adoption is stark. While 73.3% of surveyed organizations plan to adopt AI, only 17.8% are currently using it. This suggests the primary barrier is not interest but execution capability, aligning with the roadmap’s focus on workforce certification (50,000 workers) and pilot scaling (30% conversion rate) rather than just tool procurement.