But tech experts warn that a deepening economic and tech divide is looming as nations in the region adopt AI at a different pace.
“Southeast Asian markets make up some of the highest AI adopters in the world,” Lila Ibrahim, chief operating officer of DeepMind, said. “The fact that the hub here is now in Singapore makes us closer to the ground to be able to respond to that, to develop partnerships and so on.”
It is DeepMind’s first hub in Southeast Asia and third in Asia-Pacific, with its labs in Japan and India having started operations earlier this year.
AI could potentially raise the region’s gross domestic product by 10 to 18 per cent by 2030, through benefits such as productivity gains and revenue increments, according to a 2020 study by consulting firm Kearney.
