According to last year’s e-Conomy SEA report, Southeast Asia’s young, digital-savvy population has a keen interest in AI-powered products while AI-related searches in the region grew 11 times from 2020 to 2024.
Hanoi (VNA) – Indonesia is pushing ahead with the development of a low-cost, open-source large language model (LLM), seen as a local version of China's DeepSeek chatbot, in its bid to become a tech powerhouse in Southeast Asia.
Luhut Pandjaitan, a senior economic advisor of President Prabowo Subianto, told the Indonesia Economic Summit held recently in Jakarta that they have set up a team to establish their own DeepSeek.
🌼 The former minister said the unnamed chatbot, which will be presented to President Prabowo early next month, could respond in Indonesian and English. Luhut did not reveal how much was spent on the app, only saying that it was not costly.
Chairman of the Indonesian Chamber of Commerce and Industry Arsjad Rasjid called on the private sector to join forces with the government to help spur AI innovation.
Indonesia is drafting rules on AI and considers DeepSeek an alternative in the digital ecosystem. Deputy Minister of Communications and Digital Affairs Nezar Patria said the chatbot would be assessed before any decision on whether to ban it.
According to last year’s e-Conomy SEA report, Southeast Asia’s young, digital-savvy population has a keen interest in AI-powered products while AI-related searches in the region grew 11 times from 2020 to 2024.
The fast-developing industry has changed the region’s tech landscape, with Singapore, Thailand and Malaysia attracting more than 30 billion USD in AI-related investments in the first six months of last year.
🦋 The Philippines is nearing the completion of iTanong, a domestic version of ChatGPT that can perform tasks in Tagalog and English, while a Malaysian company has released a Malay-language LLM that aligns with the country’s culture./.
The ministry's Director General of Marine and Ocean Space Management Victor Gustaaf Manoppo stated that this initiative aims to enhance national pharmaceutical resilience while empowering coastal communities involved in the supply chain of natural medicinal ingredients.
The plan is to encourage and facilitate countries to relocate the headquarters of their diplomatic missions from Jakarta to the future capital by 2028, said head of the IKN Authority Basuki Hadimuljono on February 17.
The assets managed by Danantara will exceed 900 billion USD. The fund will invest in natural resources and state assets through sustainable, high-impact projects.
Coordinating Minister for Economic Affairs Airlangga Hartarto and EAEU Trade Minister Andrey Slepnev jointly declared the conclusion of FTA talks on the sidelines of the 28th St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF 2025), according to the statement.
The article stressed that throughout his revolutionary career, the founder of modern Vietnam consistently regarded the revolutionary press as a vital part of the Vietnamese Party’s and nation’s revolutionary struggle.
Pichai said the trade talks with the US are important and need to move forward professionally, without regard for any political changes in Thailand, believing that Thailand has clear principles, guidelines and procedures in place.
The tax adjustment supports the Malaysian Government’s strategy to reduce reliance on foreign food supply chains and to assist domestic farmers, a finance official has said.
The proposed venue is located in the Chatuchak area of Bangkok, featuring eight public sites, including Krungthep Aphiwat Central Terminal and several nearby parks.
Connectivity is expected to improve further with the completion of the fifth Laos–Thailand Friendship Bridge by the end of 2025, facilitating logistics and agricultural exports to Vietnam, Thailand, and China.
Two naval gunboats intercepted a fishing vessel carrying 1.5 tonnes of methamphetamine hydrochloride off the coast of the main island of Luzon just before dawn, in a joint operation with the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency.
In the today context of socio-economic development and growth, the professionalism of Vietnam’s revolutionary journalists continues to rise, guided by exemplary mastery of new information technologies and the modernisation of their founding principles to preserve the enduring values of revolutionary journalism.
Thai Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Commerce Vuttikrai Leewiraphan Thailand's formal proposal will be substantial enough for the US to consider further detailed negotiations. He hoped for a tariff rate not exceeding 10% and suggested that the US might extend the negotiation period if an agreement is not reached by the July 8 deadline.
Organised by the Ministry of Culture and the Association of Thai Silk & Culture Promotions, the event honors Her Majesty the Queen on her 47th birthday anniversary and promotes Thai craftsmanship on an international stage.
Prensa Latina's recent article on Vietnam’s assurance of smooth and effective transition to a leaner structure highlighted Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh’s latest directions on implementing 28 resolutions regarding the decentralisation and delegation of authority.
The lab focuses on four key thematic areas: energy transition and green innovation, sustainable agriculture, circular economy and sustainable cities, and nature-based solutions and biodiversity.
The key content of the document titled "Accelerating Innovative Strategies: Addressing the OOSCY Challenges" will be refined further in a seminar preceding the 47th ASEAN Summit in Kuala Lumpur this October.
This follows Telegram’s serious failure to address the content that has been repeatedly reported to them, despite various efforts of negotiation and cooperation made by MCMC, it said.
Efforts to empower women must transcend dialogue and translate into concrete commitments, including corporate pledges and government partnerships, according to the spouse of Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim.
The forum featured two in-depth discussion sessions, engaging representatives from governments, think tanks, and businesses from both ASEAN and China, on how to forge closer ties for a common future.
The new FIFA Hub in Jakarta will not only support football development in Indonesia but also serve as a coordination centre for 21 football associations across Southeast and East Asia.
Minister Counselor Nguyen Hoang Nguyen reaffirmed Vietnam’s principled and consistent stance on the Palestine issue, calling for an immediate and lasting ceasefire across the entire Gaza Strip.
PM Anwar Ibrahim affirmed the determination of Malaysia, as ASEAN Chair for 2025, to utilise all viable regional mechanisms of the bloc and work with partners to de-escalate violence and restore a peace process led by Myanmar.
