Google and Sea Partner to Build Agentic AI for Southeast Asia

The centerpiece of the agreement is the development of an agentic shopping prototype designed for Shopee, Sea’s flagship e-commerce platform. According to the companies, this tool will leverage Google’s AI infrastructure to provide a more interactive and automated shopping journey. The partnership also extends into the fintech sector, with plans to trial an agentic payment experience across their respective digital payment ecosystems.

Transforming Digital Entertainment and Fintech

Sea’s gaming division, Garena, will adopt Google’s AI solutions to refine game development workflows and enhance player engagement. Sea Chairman and Chief Executive Forrest Li characterized AI as the "next big technology revolution," noting that the partnership is designed to drive innovation and business application at scale. This move aligns with Sea’s broader strategy of using social commerce and machine learning to optimize product recommendations and seller marketing.

The deal strengthens an existing alliance that recently saw the integration of the YouTube Shopping affiliate program with Shopee. The stakes are high for both firms as Shopee remains the dominant force in Southeast Asian e-commerce, commanding a 52% regional market share in 2024, according to data from Momentum Works. By embedding Google’s generative and agentic tools, Sea aims to solidify its lead against regional competitors.