New Agoda report reveals the forces shaping the next phase of AI maturity in Southeast Asia and India

Widespread AI use highlights the need for structured frameworks to ensure reliable outcomes 

SINGAPORE, Nov. 14, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- AI is rapidly becoming an integral part of developers' workflows across Southeast Asia and India, and new findings from Agoda's AI Developer Report 2025 show that governance — not adoption — will define the region's next phase of AI maturity.

The study finds that AI adoption among developers is nearly universal, with 95% of developers using AI on a weekly basis. Tools such as ChatGPT, Cursor, and GitHub Copilot are increasingly embedded in daily workflows, though usage remains concentrated on code generation (94%). Although still high, adoption rates drop for downstream tasks, including documentation (72%), code review (67%), testing (57%), planning (56%), and deployment (36%), highlighting uneven integration across the development process.

Formal guidance has not kept pace. Only 25% of teams operate under official AI guidelines, and 60% of organizations lack a formal AI policy, leaving developers to navigate AI integration largely on their own. Governance is still largely shaped by team culture and practices rather than formal structures.

Leading organizations are closing this gap through structured governance frameworks that strike a balance between developer autonomy and organizational oversight. Agoda, for example, is building governance infrastructure through its GenAI Proxy, a unified layer that authenticates usage, enforces limits, monitors costs, and ensures compliance across multiple LLM providers. This approach allows Agoda to measure adoption patterns, understand real usage behaviors, and refine policies based on actual practice rather than theoretical guidelines. These foundations position the company to scale AI usage responsibly as the technology continues to evolve.

To address this gap, developers have built bottom-up accountability into their workflows. Peer review is evolving, with 57% reporting changes to their code review processes. Meanwhile, 67% always review AI-generated code before merging, and 70% routinely rework outputs. 

However, most respondents indicate that AI-generated code functions correctly less than half the time without significant revisions. This finding shows that widespread adoption does not automatically lead to reliable or consistent results. The next challenge is to transform this emerging culture of code review into measurable processes that can be scaled across teams and organizations.

"The next differentiator will not be who adopts AI first, but who builds a clear framework around it for consistent and productive usage," said Idan Zalzberg, Chief Technology Officer at Agoda. "Southeast Asia and India's strength lies in speed and adaptability. Developers are advancing AI adoption with peer oversight and disciplined practices, but the next step is to pair that momentum with stronger foundations in trust, quality, and governance. Companies that do so will set the standard for reliable and responsible AI across the region." 

The Agoda AI Developer Report 2025 draws on extensive input from developers across Southeast Asia and India, along with insights from leading regional companies such as Carousell, MoMo, Omise, and SCB 10x. It provides a comprehensive view of how AI is being adopted, integrated, and experienced across the region's developer ecosystem.

For more information and to download the free report, visit APAC developer report.

 

source: Agoda