Major governments in the Asia-Pacific (APAC) region are expanding the adoption of AI agents to provide personalized citizen services using artificial intelligence (AI) software, a new report shows.

Global IT research firm Gartner has announced key GovTech trends in the Asia-Pacific (APAC) region for 2025, suggesting a direction for government innovation centered on AI technology.

This presentation provides public sector CIOs and policymakers with practical insights to implement smart citizen services and develop short- and long-term AI strategies.

Gartner identified three key GovTech trends to watch in the Asia-Pacific region this year: personalized citizen services leveraging AI agents, digital innovation labs and data sandboxes, and the establishment of AI governance frameworks.

AI agents are software that can autonomously perceive, judge, and act in digital and physical environments, and can dramatically improve government administrative processing capabilities.

Initially, it is expected to be used for legal-based administrative tasks such as building permits and qualification examinations, and it is expected to expand into various fields in the future.

Dean Lacheca, a Gartner VP analyst, said, "Technological maturity, transparency, and public trust are key to the adoption of AI agents," adding, "An ethical governance system that considers autonomy, security, and privacy is essential."He emphasized this.

Governments in the Asia-Pacific region are actively establishing digital innovation labs, including "sandboxes," controlled data environments for human-centered technological innovation.

This space enables collaboration with technology partners while protecting government data, and the use of synthetic data to protect personal information is also increasing.

Representative examples include the Maritime Port Authority of Singapore (MPA), Taiwan's Digital Identity Wallet Sandbox, and Australia's Education Institution Collaborative Innovation Space. Gartner recommends that government CIOs validate the performance of labs and clearly define investment directions.

As AI technology proliferates, it is essential for governments to establish a governance framework to manage risks, control costs, and achieve policy objectives. Gartner predicts that by 2028, more than 80% of governments will undergo independent audits of their AI adoption.

“As governments in the Asia-Pacific region pursue sovereign AI agendas, it is crucial to establish guardrails for transparent and responsible AI adoption,” said analyst Rasheka.