What Southeast Asia needs to become a major player in artificial intelligence

For artificial intelligence to take hold in Southeast Asia, the region needs more defined business use cases, better data ecosystems, and more concerted talent-development efforts. Artificial intelligence (AI) is still in its early stages in Southeast Asia: the use of machine learning--an AI application in which machines are given access to data to learn from--is just beginning to have an impact on the region. If Southeast Asia wants to catch up to the United States and China, the two major hubs of AI development, it needs to coordinate efforts to put fundamental building blocks in place. All member states of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) are engaging in some level of AI research, with Singapore leading ASEAN in AI experimentation across multiple industries. While such sparks of activity are encouraging, the region requires nations to identify specific business use cases, to create more robust data ecosystems, and to better develop talent and capabilities if it wants to realize its full potential.