Dell's Roebuck: 58% of Japan firms past AI early stage

John Roebuck's remarks at the October 27 press conference reflect a longer arc. He first came to Japan as an IT consultant in 2004, when he says Japanese companies would not listen without domestic case studies. Since then he has held leadership roles at Dell, Microsoft Japan, Lenovo, and AMD Japan, giving him a close view of how Japanese enterprises approach technology.

The study data he presented shows a sharp rise in generative AI maturity: 58% of Japanese companies are now beyond the early-to-mid stage, up from 35% in 2025, and close to the Asia-Pacific figure of 61%. Roebuck also noted that 47% of Japanese firms cite security, compliance, and privacy concerns as a challenge, which he sees as typical of an early phase but not necessarily a barrier to speed. His takeaway is that Japanese executives are increasingly curious about overseas practices, a shift from the reluctance he encountered two decades ago.