AI in Southeast Asia: beyond the U.S.-China rivalry narrative
A timely and thought-provoking perspective by Professor Andrew Stokols, Urban Fellow (Urban Governance) at the SMU Urban Institute, offers a grounded view of artificial intelligence development in Southeast Asia that moves beyond dominant geopolitical framings.
While AI in the region is often discussed through the lens of US–China competition, the analysis highlights a more locally rooted reality shaped by domestic policy priorities, infrastructure strategies, and evolving regional dynamics.
Across Southeast Asia, governments are partnering with global cloud providers such as Microsoft, Amazon Web Services, and Google Cloud, while local conglomerates play a central role in developing the physical and institutional infrastructure that underpins data centres, energy systems, and digital platforms.
The key tension identified lies in how the benefits of this infrastructure-led growth are distributed, and whether such investments translate into meaningful local innovation, capability development, and long-term economic value within the region.
The discussion also connects to an upcoming SMU workshop in January 2026 on “AI Developmental States,” part of Professor Stokols’ research under the Microsoft AI Economy Institute.
Link to the article is available below: