Disconnected AI Systems Creating More Work For Staff

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TAKEAWAYS

• Friction to AI adoption could arise from structural issues like unclear guidance, inconsistent outputs and tools that are not properly integrated.
• In Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore and Thailand, workers spend half their time acting as the human glue between disconnected systems.

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While workers across the region are optimistic about artificial intelligence (AI) and believe it helps them complete individual tasks more quickly, four in five employees say navigating processes and systems is a source of stress. In fact, one in five workers lose over seven hours a week moving information and reconciling data. Oftentimes, whatever gains from AI use are offset by the time spent switching between systems, checking outputs and moving information across tools manually.

The study by Workday, “The Copy/Paste Economy: Why Task-Oriented AI Is Failing the Enterprise”, published on 12 August 2026, surveyed 6,100 global professionals. They include those in Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore and Thailand, across HR, finance, IT and operations all actively using AI at organisations with more than 500 employees.

Here are some key findings. 

1) Employees are overburdened by manual integration but remain engaged

Despite being swamped by manual integration and fragmented tools, nearly nine in 10 workers remain highly engaged. They report a strong sense of progress, ownership, and connection to organisational goals.

• 86% say AI has improved their day-to-day work experience;
• 66% spend at least half their time translating and coordinating between systems and teams;
• Only 30% of organisations have embedded AI into the core of their business.

“The real friction is structural – unclear guidance, inconsistent outputs, and tools that don’t integrate where work actually happens,” said Jess O’Reilly, General Manager, ASEAN, Workday. “Organisations need to move beyond task-based AI use cases to an operating model where AI is integrated within the flow of work for greatest effectiveness.”

2) Administrative friction continues to hold workers back

The research highlights several key challenges facing ASEAN’s workforce, including:

• Information silos: More than eight in 10 employees spend significant time moving information between systems;
• Disconnected workflows: 84% spend significant time coordinating work across teams or business systems;
• Conflicting data: 82% regularly spend significant time reconciling inconsistent information across multiple systems;
• Administrative burden: 76% say they spend time on administrative or bureaucratic tasks creating significant day-to-day friction;
• Stalled decision-making: Three-quarters of ASEAN employees say decisions are delayed when information is missing or unclear, and many teams (72%) often disagree over whose numbers are right.

3) Moving away from the copy/paste economy

Organisations in ASEAN markets can unlock greater value from AI by prioritising integration over standalone AI applications. When AI is embedded directly into core business platforms rather than layered onto fragmented technology stacks, employees spend less time manually moving information and more time on work that drives business impact.

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ISCA Supports Members In AI Upskilling

ISCA has been helping members garner new skills for the future, such as through courses, and insights and perspectives published on CA Lab.

In July 2026, ISCA and the Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA) officially launched the AI Fluency Programme called AIxAccountancy. The programme is designed to empower accountancy and corporate finance professionals with the skills, confidence and knowhow to use AI effectively and responsibly at work. It aims to instil “AI bilingualism” – the ability to understand both accounting and AI languages – to enable members to navigate the era of technology and AI.

AIxAccountancy supports ISCA’s broader commitment to strengthen AI capabilities across the profession, in line with the ambition to upskill 60,000 accountancy and corporate finance professionals over a three-year period.