Under the agreement, the companies will jointly “explore the building of an AI agentic shopping prototype” on Sea’s flagship e-commerce platform, Shopee, the statement said. The initiative reflects a broader push by global technology firms to expand AI beyond simple question-and-answer tasks, enabling tools that can manage complex workflows, facilitate cross-platform shopping, and enhance user engagement.
The move comes as competition in Southeast Asia’s e-commerce market intensifies. Earlier this week, China’s Alibaba released a new AI model for its Lazada platform, positioning it for what the company described as the “agentic AI era.” Shopee, meanwhile, held a dominant 52% market share in the region in 2024, according to consultancy Momentum Works.
Beyond e-commerce, Google and Sea’s gaming unit, Garena, said they will leverage AI solutions to “transform” game development productivity, signaling a broader application of AI across the company’s digital ecosystem.
The partnership builds on previous collaborations, including a 2024 tie-up between Shopee and Alphabet’s YouTube, further cementing the tech giant’s presence in Southeast Asia’s rapidly evolving digital market.