JAKARTA — Feb. 19 (GeokHub) Alphabet’s Google and Southeast Asian tech giant Sea Ltd have announced a strategic partnership to develop artificial intelligence solutions for Sea’s e-commerce and gaming platforms.
The collaboration focuses on creating an “AI agentic shopping prototype” for Shopee, the company’s flagship online marketplace, which dominated the Southeast Asian e-commerce market with a 52% share in 2024. The initiative aims to expand AI capabilities beyond simple query responses, enabling users to complete a broader range of tasks, from seamless shopping experiences to managing more complex workflows.
AI in Gaming and Productivity
The partnership will also extend to Garena, Sea’s gaming unit. Google and Garena will implement AI-driven solutions to improve game development productivity, streamline operations, and enhance the user experience in gaming platforms across the region.
This move reflects a growing trend among global tech firms to monetize AI by embedding intelligent systems directly into digital products, whether in e-commerce, entertainment, or enterprise applications. Earlier this week, Alibaba unveiled an AI model designed specifically for what it calls the “agentic AI era,” demonstrating the competitive push in Southeast Asia’s rapidly expanding AI landscape.
Strategic Implications
Industry observers note that the Google-Sea collaboration could strengthen Shopee’s dominance in e-commerce, particularly as AI-driven experiences become a key differentiator. Additionally, integrating AI into Garena’s gaming operations may help Sea maintain its competitive edge in the Southeast Asian gaming market while improving development efficiency.
The partnership builds on Sea’s prior collaborations with Alphabet, including a 2024 tie-up between Shopee and YouTube, which aimed to increase digital engagement and boost e-commerce sales through content integration.
