When generative AI burst into the global mainstream, the spotlight landed on Silicon Valley’s models and China’s foundational AI race. But in Southeast Asia, a quieter revolution has taken root, not marked by billion-dollar models or massive data centers, but by everyday adaptation, creativity, and constraint-driven innovation.
From students in Penang to freelancers in Manila and startup founders in Ho Chi Minh City, ChatGPT isn’t just being used; it’s being adapted. It’s helping job seekers tell their stories, startup founders pitch smarter, and consumers explore brands that match their values. This isn’t AI hype. It’s a human-centered transformation, happening in real time, on the streets and screens of Southeast Asia.
From search to prompt: ChatGPT as the new discovery funnel
In China, brand discovery happens via algorithmic ecosystems like Douyin and Xiaohongshu. In Southeast Asia, a new mode of digital curiosity is taking shape: prompt-based discovery.
Consumers are no longer just Googling. They’re prompting ChatGPT with:
- “What halal skincare brands are sustainable in Southeast Asia?”
- “Which Malaysian tech companies support remote internships for students?”
AI is becoming a values-based search assistant, filtering results not only by relevance but by ethics, preferences, and cultural nuance. In markets where traditional search may be cluttered or less localized, ChatGPT offers a cleaner, more human-like dialogue layer.
Implication for marketers: Traditional SEO isn’t enough. To stay relevant, brands must be prompt-relevant, which are context-aware, ethical, and locally resonant.
Career-building with AI: From format to voice
At a recent career fair in Malaysia, I mentored students who had already used ChatGPT to:
- Write CVs;
- Draft cover letters;
- Simulate job interviews;
- Translate personal stories into professional impact.
One mentee shared, “AI helps me write. But it can’t decide what I stand for.” That distinction is critical. Across Southeast Asia, Gen Z isn’t using AI to bypass effort, but they’re using it to amplify self-awareness and communicate more effectively in a global job market.
In multilingual, multicultural environments like Southeast Asia, where English may not be the first language, AI levels the playing field. It empowers youth to express ideas, refine narratives, and simulate opportunities that once required expensive coaching or international exposure.
Founders are AI-native by nnecessity
In mature markets, AI may be a productivity booster. In Southeast Asia, it’s often a survival tool. Early-stage startups are using AI tools as core teammates, not just assistants.
At the recent Antler Malaysia Cohort, I’ve met and seen founders:
- Prototype landing pages and sales pitches in hours;
- Localize content across Bahasa, Thai, and English overnight;
- Run GPT-powered investor dry runs to anticipate hard questions.
One Indonesian founder told me, “ChatGPT is like our fifth co-founder, always available, never judging.”
For many bootstrapped teams, AI bridges gaps in talent, time, and capital. It’s not a flashy add-on, it’s essential infrastructure.
Mentorship matters: Human context still wins
Even in an AI-enabled world, mentorship remains irreplaceable. As someone who actively mentors students and young professionals through career fairs and youth initiatives, I’ve seen firsthand the gap that technology alone cannot fill.
Many students I met had beautifully structured, AI-crafted resumes but when asked why they pursued a certain path or what kind of impact they wanted to create, they hesitated. Their documents were polished. Their direction was uncertain.
Mentorship bridges that gap. It helps young people move from translation to transformation. It’s not about fixing grammar; it’s about helping them find clarity, confidence, and conviction in their own story.
In one session, a mentee realized that his side hustle designing T-shirts wasn’t just a hobby, but it was a reflection of his interest in branding and storytelling. Another saw how her caregiving role at home built transferable skills like empathy, resilience, and leadership. These connections weren’t made by AI. They were made in conversation.
Technology can give you the words. But mentorship helps you find your voice.
Increasingly, mentorship itself is becoming a vital soft skill in the AI era. It’s not only essential in nonprofits or academic settings but also in the workplace. As AI transforms how we work, leaders who can mentor effectively, guide others in making sense of tools, change, and self-direction are becoming more valuable. Mentorship is no longer just an act of giving back. It’s leadership behavior. A strategic differentiator.
Southeast Asia’s creative AI edge
Southeast Asia may not produce the next OpenAI, but it’s producing something just as powerful: a generation growing up AI-native, shaped by scarcity, creativity, and linguistic agility.
In content creation, marketing, and entrepreneurship, AI is being used to:
- Turn local TikTok content ideas into full cross-platform scripts;
- Translate rural business ideas into polished pitch decks;
- Create culturally sensitive ad copy in multiple languages.
In a region with deep storytelling traditions and complex linguistic landscapes, the ability to creatively shape prompts is becoming a superpower. In fact, one might argue that prompt fluency is emerging as a soft skill for the 2020s.
Final thought: Ask different questions
If you’re a policymaker, investor, or innovation leader, the question isn’t just:
“Are Southeast Asians using AI?”
It’s:
“How are they redefining AI through their lived realities?”
Because here, AI isn’t a disruptor in the traditional sense. It’s a quiet enabler that helps people adapt, connect, and build futures that are both local and globally competitive.
Sebastian Tai Jian Haw is a seasoned digital transformation leader with over 15 years of experience across Southeast Asia, spanning e-commerce, healthcare, and precision industries. He has held leadership roles at Abbott, Lazada, and Mettler-Toledo, and most recently explored AI-driven innovation through a startup accelerator with Antler.
He writes and speaks on digital adoption, local innovation, and human transformation, both in the workplace and beyond. Outside of tech, he’s also a certified personal trainer who helps others build discipline through fitness. Sebastian actively mentors youth through Talentbank, MOHE, and the Global Mentorship Initiative, helping the next generation navigate careers, confidence, and technology with purpose.
TNGlobal INSIDER publishes contributions relevant to entrepreneurship and innovation. You may submit your own original or published contributions subject to editorial discretion.
Why Southeast Asia’s AI revolution needs more translators, not just technologists