Digital experiences in Southeast Asia to be fueled by Sea's partnership with OpenAI for artificial intelligence technology
Sea Limited and OpenAI Collaborate to Revolutionize Digital Experiences in Southeast Asia
Sea Limited, a leading digital entertainment, e-commerce, and digital financial services company, has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with OpenAI, the organisation behind the popular AI model ChatGPT. The collaboration aims to integrate OpenAI's advanced capabilities across Sea's digital ecosystem, transforming commerce, payments, and distribution.
The initiative, set to unlock new AI-powered experiences, builds on Sea's February 2025 launch of Operator, an initiative focused on integrating AI-driven efficiencies within its platforms. By aligning advanced AI tools with customer-centric design, Sea and OpenAI are poised to redefine digital experiences in Southeast Asia.
As a first milestone, Shopee, Sea's flagship e-commerce platform, will introduce complimentary access to ChatGPT Plus for members of its Shopee VIP loyalty programme during the 8.8 Sales Campaign. Starting August 8, 2025, Shopee VIP customers in Indonesia, Thailand, and Vietnam can redeem a three-month subscription to ChatGPT Plus when registering as new users on OpenAI's platform. The first country to receive free access to ChatGPT Plus through the Shopee VIP program is Indonesia.
Forrest Li, the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Sea, has stated that AI is a significant technological breakthrough and will revolutionize connections, discoveries, and transactions. Oliver Jay, the Managing Director of International at OpenAI, believes Asia's young, tech-savvy population and high mobile penetration make it one of the fastest growing markets for AI adoption and innovation.
Jay looks forward to OpenAI working with Sea to apply their capabilities in areas like commerce and equip more businesses with smarter tools to manage operations and reach customers. He believes that this collaboration will deliver accessible innovation at scale, equipping everyday users with premium AI capabilities that were previously limited to enterprise applications.
The agreement provides enhanced access to faster response times, early feature releases, and OpenAI's most advanced AI models. For Li, this collaboration supports Sea's ambition to stay at the forefront of innovation and empower the communities they serve in the digital economy.
Oliver Jay is optimistic about the potential of this collaboration, stating, "Asia's digital economy is rapidly evolving, and we're excited to partner with Sea to bring our AI capabilities to millions of consumers and small businesses in the region."
With this collaboration, Sea and OpenAI are set to revolutionize the digital landscape in Southeast Asia, offering AI-powered experiences that will transform commerce, payments, and distribution.
