Google and Southeast Asian technology conglomerate Sea Ltd have announced a new partnership to develop artificial intelligence tools for e commerce and gaming. The agreement marks a fresh push by global technology firms to expand the commercial use of AI.
The companies unveiled the collaboration on Thursday. Under the strategic partnership, they will jointly explore building an AI agentic shopping prototype on Sea’s e commerce platform, Shopee.
AI Agentic Shopping Prototype
Through the initiative, Google and Sea aim to move beyond traditional AI applications. Instead of limiting tools to answering questions, they plan to develop systems capable of executing more complex tasks. For example, the prototype could help users navigate different shopping apps or manage multi step purchasing processes.
The move reflects broader efforts by global technology companies to monetise AI models. Firms increasingly promote AI tools that perform a wide range of functions rather than simple chatbot interactions.
Earlier this week, Alibaba Group, whose Lazada platform competes with Shopee in Southeast Asia, introduced a new AI model. The company described it as designed for the agentic AI era, signalling intensifying competition in the region’s digital marketplace.
Dominance In Southeast Asia
Shopee held a 52 percent market share in Southeast Asia in 2024, according to consultancy Momentum Works. As a result, it remains the region’s most dominant e commerce platform. The partnership with Google could strengthen its technological capabilities amid growing competition.
In addition to e commerce, the collaboration will extend to gaming. Sea’s gaming arm, Garena, will work with Google to apply AI solutions aimed at transforming productivity in game development. The companies said these tools could streamline workflows and improve efficiency.
Building On Previous Collaboration
The latest agreement follows a 2024 tie up between Shopee and YouTube, which is owned by Alphabet. That partnership focused on Southeast Asia’s expanding e commerce market.
With this new alliance, Google and Sea are deepening their cooperation. At the same time, they are positioning themselves to capture more value from AI driven innovation across online shopping and digital entertainment.
With inputs from Reuters
