The latest Ericsson ConsumerLab report indicates that Thai consumers are likely to embrace Agentic AI and Multimodal AI faster than the global average, creating new demands on mobile networks.

Agentic AI adoption among smartphone users in Thailand is projected to surge from 5% today to 52% by 2030, surpassing the global forecast of approximately 40%.

Daily use of Multimodal AI in Thailand is expected to reach 41% by 2030, compared with the global average of 30%, creating new demands on the country’s mobile network infrastructure.

According to the latest Ericsson ConsumerLab report, more than half of Thailand’s smartphone users are expected to be using Agentic AI by 2030. The technology enables artificial intelligence systems to make decisions and perform tasks on behalf of users.

The report, released by Ericsson (NASDAQ: ERIC), also reveals that 52% of smartphone users in Thailand already use AI in their daily lives. This figure is projected to rise to 67% by 2030. Within the more specific category of Agentic AI, adoption currently stands at around 5% among Thai smartphone users and is forecast to increase to 52% over the next four years. Meanwhile, daily use of Multimodal AI is expected to grow from 15% today to 41% by 2030, significantly exceeding the projected global average of approximately 30%.

Titled “An Agentic Life – How Consumer AI Usage Is Shaping Future Network Needs”, the report highlights a shift in consumer behaviour from occasional question-and-answer interactions with AI towards continuous engagement across multiple devices and locations. This transition is expected to create new challenges and demands for mobile network services, as consumers increasingly rely on AI while travelling and when away from home.

Mr. Anders Rian President of Ericsson Thailand said: “AI has already become part of everyday life for more than half of smartphone users in Thailand. By 2030, daily AI usage is projected to increase to 67%, up from 52% today. We also expect Agentic AI adoption to grow significantly, from 5% to 52% over the next four years.”

“As AI agents operate continuously in the background, while consumers increasingly share images, videos and audio with AI services, mobile networks will need greater uplink capacity to deliver fast, accurate and predictable responses, alongside highly secure connectivity. Technologies such as 5G Advanced, Network Slicing and AI-driven Network Operations will become essential in enabling Thai network operators to deliver differentiated experiences that meet the expectations of AI users. They will also create new opportunities for developers and businesses, helping to advance Thailand’s digital economy ambitions,” Mr Rehn added.

AI Super Users Drive Rising Network Demand

Thailand currently has approximately 12% of smartphone users classified as “AI Super Users”. This share is expected to rise to 34% by 2030, exceeding the projected global average of 31%.

Globally, AI Super Users account for 35% of total AI usage, and this share is expected to exceed 80% by 2030.

As consumers increasingly share images, videos and audio with AI services, upload data traffic is expected to rise significantly, creating sharp spikes in network demand over short periods. This will be particularly noticeable in densely populated urban areas, such as Bangkok.

Network performance is therefore becoming increasingly important to this group. In Thailand, response time has 3.4 times greater influence on network satisfaction among AI Super Users than among average users, compared with the global average of 2.5 times. This highlights the importance of ensuring that AI processing performance and network connectivity work seamlessly together.

The study also points to the rapid growth of Agentic AI, which can carry out tasks on behalf of users, such as making reservations and managing schedules. In Thailand, adoption is projected to rise from 5% of smartphone users today to 52% by 2030, compared with approximately two in five users globally.

Thai consumers expect AI agents to save them up to 1.3 hours of screen time per day, compared with the global average of one hour. As these services can operate continuously in the background, reliable network performance and secure connectivity will become increasingly critical.

Trust is another key factor influencing AI adoption. Around 34% of daily AI users in Thailand express significant concerns about deepfakes and the risk of their personal data being hacked and used to impersonate them or conduct transactions in their name.

Telecommunications service providers are ranked as the most trusted organisations for verifying the identities of AI assistants. This presents an important opportunity for Thai network operators to deliver trusted AI experiences by combining connectivity with secure identity and authentication systems, as well as service assurance capabilities.

AI Expands Beyond Smartphones to a Wider Range of Devices

By 2030, an estimated 30% of smartphone users in Thailand are expected to use AI on additional devices beyond their smartphones, including smart glasses and emerging innovative devices. This projection is in line with the global average.

As AI adoption expands across a wider range of devices, mobile networks will become even more important in supporting real-time applications, high-volume data transfers and reliable background connectivity. This will be particularly important as consumers move seamlessly between different locations and devices while continuing to use AI services.

The findings underline how the next phase of AI adoption will extend beyond smartphone applications, creating new expectations for network capacity, performance, reliability and security. For Thailand, the development of advanced mobile network capabilities will be essential to supporting the growing AI ecosystem and unlocking opportunities across the country’s digital economy.