Google and Shopee partner to develop AI tools for e-commerce, gaming

Google and Southeast Asian technology conglomerate Sea Ltd. have announced a new strategic partnership to develop advanced artificial intelligence tools across Sea’s e-commerce, gaming, and financial services businesses.
 
Under the collaboration, the two companies will explore building an agentic AI shopping prototype for Sea’s leading e-commerce platform, Shopee, aimed at enhancing product discovery, user engagement, and transaction experiences. The AI-driven solution is expected to integrate capabilities across both ecosystems, enabling more personalized and intelligent shopping journeys.
 
“This partnership with Google on AI will drive innovation in the business application of the technology at scale, and enable us to make AI more accessible to the digitally underserved in our markets,” said Forrest Li, Chairman and CEO of Sea.
 
The partnership extends across Sea’s three core business units:
 
Garena (Gaming): Garena will leverage Google’s AI solutions to improve gamer experiences, streamline game development, and enhance operational efficiency. The unit may also gain early access to Google’s latest AI research initiatives.
 
Shopee (E-Commerce): Shopee will work with Google to develop AI-powered tools that support conversational and agent-based shopping experiences.
 
Monee (Financial Services): Sea’s fintech arm will collaborate with Google on the open-source Agent Payments Protocol (AP2) framework. The companies will explore piloting agentic payment experiences tailored to Southeast Asian markets.
 
Sea and Google already maintain multiple collaborations, including the YouTube Shopping Affiliate Programme integrated with Shopee across Southeast Asia, Taiwan, and Brazil.
 
Sanjay Gupta, President of Google Asia-Pacific, said the partnership will help accelerate AI adoption and unlock Southeast Asia’s digital economic potential.
 
The move reflects a broader industry trend as global technology companies seek to monetize AI by expanding beyond traditional chatbot applications into intelligent agents capable of executing complex tasks, managing workflows, and enabling seamless digital commerce.
 
The announcement also comes amid rising competition in the region. China’s Alibaba recently launched its Qwen 3.5 AI model, designed for agentic capabilities, as it competes with Shopee’s dominance in Southeast Asia’s e-commerce market. According to Momentum Works, Shopee held a commanding 52% market share in Southeast Asia in 2024.
 
With this latest partnership, Google and Sea aim to position AI as a core driver of innovation across e-commerce, gaming, and digital finance in one of the world’s fastest-growing digital economies.
 
Source: The American Bazaar