Unlocking ASEAN's generative AI advantage

Following the ASEAN-Australia Special Summit, marking 50 years of dialogue partnership, an unprecedented opportunity has emerged for ASEAN countries to make a transformative leap in technological adoption and utilisation. The spotlight is firmly on generative artificial intelligence (AI), a frontier where ASEAN nations hold a distinct strategic advantage. 

There's a noticeable excitement among leaders in both the public and private sectors across ASEAN and Australia surrounding the prospects of generative AI, highlighting its potential not just as a mechanism for economic and technological progress, but as a pivotal solution to pressing societal challenges. 

The conversation about embracing and integrating generative AI is gaining prominence in the face of growing geopolitical risks, changing trade dynamics, and the pursuit of clean energy. This development represents an unmatched opportunity for ASEAN nations to spearhead technological innovation while leveraging AI for greater societal good.

Nicholas Moore, Australia's special envoy to Southeast Asia, encapsulates this moment perfectly: "The rise of generative AI presents a significant opportunity: organisations within the ASEAN region stand poised to become swift adopters of this technology, less encumbered by legacy systems—a strategic advantage in the digital age."

This assertion is not without merit. Unlike many Western counterparts, burdened by outdated infrastructures, ASEAN countries have the luxury of starting fresh, embarking on their AI journey unhampered by investments in technology that is rapidly becoming outdated. This ‘AI-native’ stance enables a flexibility and agility that can significantly accelerate the adoption and integration of generative AI technologies.

Just as China leapt from traditional analogue communications infrastructure directly to mobile internet, ASEAN countries are uniquely positioned to make a transformative jump, but this time into the realm of generative AI. By starting on a clean slate, ASEAN nations are not just catching up but potentially setting new standards in technological adoption and innovation.

Generative AI, fundamentally cloud-native, offers a quick on-ramp for organisations to harness its capabilities. While the training of generative AI models requires considerable computational power, there isn’t a necessity for individual organisations to undertake this process. Through the process of inferencing, or using pre-existing models, organisations can avoid the substantial resource requirements of model training. Giants in the tech industry, including OpenAI, AWS, and Microsoft, have democratised access to foundational model inferencing, thus removing significant barriers to entry.

The power of generative AI lies in its linguistic capabilities, an area of special relevance to the ASEAN region, with its rich tapestry of cultures and languages. AI Singapore's SEA-LION initiative exemplifies this strength, offering a suite of language models tailored for Southeast Asian languages and cultural nuances. These models showcase the technology's potential to bridge communication gaps and foster deeper understanding across the region's diverse linguistic landscape. 

An example of the subtleties in local languages is seen through the expression of laughter online. For instance, while the English-speaking world uses "LOL" to signify laughter, Thais express it with "55555", reflecting the sound of laughter in their language, and Indonesians use "wkwkwk". Language models like SEA-LION, which are trained on a wide range of cultural data, improve generative AI's capability to understand these nuanced expressions of human emotion and address intricate societal issues.

Yet, generative AI is not without its imperfections. The importance of safeguarding data and ensuring privacy cannot be overstated. In this context, collaboration and a focused approach to security and ethical standards become vital. 

By working together, ASEAN countries and Australia can address these challenges head-on, developing robust frameworks and best practices for data security that prevent misuse and protect individuals’ privacy.

This could pave the way for deeper engagements between ASEAN and Australia in AI professional services and product development. Endorsed by the Moore Report, which advocates Australia set up Austrade landing pads in Indonesia and Vietnam, these initiatives highlight the reciprocal advantages of partnership. These collaborations can leverage AI's transformative potential to solve some of the more difficult problems of our time by improving education, health care and financial literacy.

As the collaborative bonds between ASEAN countries and Australia grow stronger, the adoption of generative AI is poised to transform the landscape of regional cooperation, establish new benchmarks in technological leadership, and catalyse social advancement. The advent of generative AI has effectively equalised the technological playing field, positioning both regions to harness this cutting-edge technology for widespread, mutual benefit. 

Conversely, nations that hesitate to embrace generative AI risk falling into an unprecedented chasm of technological disparity, far surpassing the traditional digital divide. The emergence of generative AI represents a paradigm shift on a scale comparable to the invention of electricity. Imagine the stark contrast between nations empowered by electricity and those devoid of it; similarly, the adoption of generative AI delineates a future where inclusivity in technological advancement is not just beneficial but essential for global competitiveness and societal well-being.

It's imperative that both ASEAN and Australia expedite their efforts to seize this burgeoning opportunity. 

Will Liang is an Executive Director at MA Asset Management, where he is responsible for overseeing the company's data, technology, and Al initiatives. Will serves as a non-executive director and treasurer for the Reg Tech Association's board and participates as a member of the Financial Services Council technology expert group. Will is also a member of the Forbes Technology Council.

This article is part of a series of op-eds published in conjunction with the Emerging Leaders' Dialogue of the ASEAN-Australia Special Summit convened in Melbourne between 4 and 6 March in a partnership between the Australian Government and Asialink.