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Google, Temasek and Bain & Company released the 11th edition of the annual e-Conomy SEA report. The report forecasts that Southeast Asia's digital economy GMV will grow 17% year-on-year to $368 billion in 2026, and exceed $1 trillion by 2035. The report also presents generative AI adoption figures: 243 million Southeast Asians already use it daily, a growth rate 4 times that of the mobile internet, and regional AI usage is expected to grow 60-fold over the next five years; 75% of users are willing to let AI agents compare prices and complete transactions on their behalf, but the region will need to expand data center capacity roughly 3-fold over the next five years to support computing demand. Follow-up reporting further states that the number of generative AI adopters in Southeast Asia reached about 243 million in under three years, accounting for 58% of the workforce, yet only 1%–2% of the population pays for personal AI subscriptions; businesses have instead monetized through channels such as e-commerce conversion, digital advertising and customer service—for example, about 80% of Shopee's customer inquiries are handled by AI chatbots, with per-interaction customer service costs down 30% year-on-year.
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Oct 22
CNBC Technology
Southeast Asia's generative AI users near 243 million, but only 1%-2% of the population pay for subscriptions
A report by Google, Temasek and Bain & Company shows that the number of generative AI adopters in Southeast Asia reached about 243 million in under three years, accounting for 58% of the workforce, with adoption spreading four times faster than mobile internet; however, only 1%-2% of the population pays for personal AI subscriptions. Companies are instead monetizing through channels such as e-commerce conversion, digital advertising and customer service: about 80% of Shopee's customer inquiries are handled by AI chatbots, and the cost per customer service interaction fell 30% year on year. The report projects that Southeast Asia's digital economy GMV will grow 17% this year to $368 billion and exceed $1 trillion by 2035.
Oct 21
Google BlogFirst-party
e-Conomy SEA Report: Southeast Asia's Digital Economy to Reach $1 Trillion by 2035
The 11th edition of the e-Conomy SEA report, released by Google, Temasek and Bain & Company, forecasts that Southeast Asia's digital economy GMV will grow 17% year-on-year to $368 billion in 2026 and surpass $1 trillion by 2035. Generative AI is already used daily by 243 million people in Southeast Asia, growing four times faster than the mobile internet, and the report projects that regional AI usage will grow 60-fold over the next five years. 75% of users are willing to let AI agents compare prices and complete transactions on their behalf, but the region will need to expand data center capacity roughly threefold over the next five years to support computing demand.