243M users across Southeast Asia are using GenAI, representing 58% of the working population, with potential to deepen usage and commercialisation.
Hover or tap any icon to see the number behind it.
AI economy2023-present
Digital economy2010-present
Building Blocks of the digital and ai economies
relative maturity today
Nascent
Emerging
Scaling
Mature
Infrastructure
AI economy
~4 gigawatts of live DC capacity
Expansion of compute and data centres (DC)
Digital economy
98% 4G coverage
Internet connectivity becomes ubiquitous
User growth
AI economy
243M GenAI Users
58% of the working population are using GenAI
Digital economy
446M Internet Users
Consumers across SEA-6 go online
Usage depth
Usage depth
Consumer use cases account for ~60% of regional AI usage
However, enterprise workloads form the bulk of usage in Singapore and Malaysia – the two most AI-mature markets.
AI economy
~2 AI sessions/week
Occasional queries turn into daily conversations; use cases evolve from basic tasks to complex problems
Digital economy
39 hrs/week online
SEA-6 usage deepens from minutes to hours daily across many activities
Commercialisation
Commercialisation
Significant headroom to grow
Only 1–2% of the SEA-6 population pay for GenAI accounts. Most remain on free tiers, with upgrades driven by access to advanced models and higher limits.
AI economy
Usage monetised via subscriptions, ads, and agent-executed transactions
Digital economy
~$367B GMV
Engagement boosts digital economy GMV in core sectors
1. Data centre capacity in 2025 excludes commissioned capacity that was still in development at the time.
2. Excludes work-, study-, and health-related use cases.
Sources: ITU; Datareportal; Google/YouGov, Uncovering AI Adoption, Trust, and Autonomy in SEA, SEA-6, July 2026, n=9,006 AI users; Bain analysis
Strong growth through headwinds
AI is reshaping consumer journey
Consumer rely on AI for discovery across sectors, but decision complexity determines usage throughout the rest of the journey.
Hover or tap any icon to see the details behind it.
High AI Usage
Medium AI Usage
Low AI Usage
Combination of AI
Mostly AI embedded in app
In development
Customer journey
Vertical
Discovery
Evaluation
Decision
Transaction
Post-purchase
Ecommerce
Ecommerce, Discovery: High AI Usage
Ecommerce, Evaluation: High AI Usage
Ecommerce, Decision: Medium AI Usage
Ecommerce, Transaction: Low AI Usage
Ecommerce, Post-purchase: Medium AI Usage
Online travel
Online travel, Discovery: High AI Usage
Online travel, Evaluation: High AI Usage
Online travel, Decision: Medium AI Usage
Online travel, Transaction: Low AI Usage
Online travel, Post-purchase: Medium AI Usage
Online media
Online media, Discovery: High AI Usage
Online media, Evaluation: High AI Usage
Online media, Decision: Medium AI Usage
Online media, Transaction: Low AI Usage
Online media, Post-purchase: Medium AI Usage
Digital financial services
Digital financial services, Discovery: High AI Usage
Digital financial services, Evaluation: High AI Usage
Digital financial services, Decision: Medium AI Usage
Digital financial services, Transaction: Low AI Usage
Digital financial services, Post-purchase: Medium AI Usage
Mobility and food
Mobility and food, Discovery: Medium AI Usage
Mobility and food, Evaluation: Medium AI Usage
Mobility and food, Decision: Low AI Usage
Mobility and food, Transaction: Low AI Usage
Mobility and food, Post-purchase: Low AI Usage
AI has a limited role to play in low-stakes or routine tasks like ordering food or booking transport.
Discovery + Evaluation
Consumers are discovering and evaluating options more thoroughly with AI. Total touchpoints increased across the consumer journey
Decision
Consumers find AI most useful when they are considering big‑ticket purchases and finding the best deals, particularly in e‑commerce and travel.
Transaction
Given high values and low tolerance for errors, consumers continue to execute final transactions manually.
Post-purchase
Post purchase AI improves delivery accuracy and service efficiency without compromising customer satisfaction.
Sources: Google/YouGov, Uncovering AI Adoption, Trust, and Autonomy in SEA, SEA-6, July 2026, n=9,006 AI users; Bain analysis
Funding the AI decade
AI-focused companies captured ~80% of private funding
Capital is tilting toward companies that embed AI to drive new revenue pools, particularly in digital financial services and software and services
Hover or tap any bar to see the details behind it.
Private funding for AI applications ($B)
H2 2024
$1.5B
DEAL COUNT
91
AI SHARE OF PRIVATE FUNDING
30%
H2 2024
H1 2025
$0.9B
DEAL COUNT
72
AI SHARE OF PRIVATE FUNDING
32%
H1 2025
H2 2025
$2.1B
DEAL COUNT
126
AI SHARE OF PRIVATE FUNDING
53%
H2 2025
H1 2026
$3.2B
DEAL COUNT
101
AI SHARE OF PRIVATE FUNDING
80%
H1 2026
From H1 2025 to H1 2026
32% → 80%
of private funding to AI companies
1. Includes AI development tools, models, and AI-native or AI-as-a-feature offerings, and excludes data centres, semiconductors, and physical AI companies.
Source: Bain analysis
Trusted intelligence for all
3 in 4 consumers are open to delegating transactions to AI within guardrails
This shift could unlock unprecedented convenience, but product accessibility must be balanced with transparent privacy protections for mass adoption to become a reality.
Hover or tap any icon to see the details behind it.
SEA-6 Average
25%
50%
75%
Find the best price and buy a product for me
75%
SEA-6 Average
75%
Indonesia
84%
Singapore
59%
Malaysia
74%
Thailand
85%
Philippines
74%
Vietnam
79%
Schedule follow-up appointments automatically
59%
SEA-6 Average
59%
Indonesia
43%
Singapore
65%
Malaysia
58%
Thailand
60%
Philippines
60%
Vietnam
58%
Manage my streaming subscriptions
52%
SEA-6 Average
52%
Indonesia
53%
Singapore
48%
Malaysia
47%
Thailand
49%
Philippines
54%
Vietnam
58%
Order food based on my preferences and past orders
49%
SEA-6 Average
49%
Indonesia
49%
Singapore
51%
Malaysia
48%
Thailand
47%
Philippines
50%
Vietnam
50%
Reorder household essentials when supplies run low
49%
SEA-6 Average
49%
Indonesia
43%
Singapore
53%
Malaysia
47%
Thailand
48%
Philippines
46%
Vietnam
47%
Plan and book trip based on my budget and preferences
47%
SEA-6 Average
47%
Indonesia
47%
Singapore
34%
Malaysia
46%
Thailand
60%
Philippines
40%
Vietnam
55%
Book my regular commute or ride automatically
42%
SEA-6 Average
42%
Indonesia
35%
Singapore
45%
Malaysia
41%
Thailand
44%
Philippines
44%
Vietnam
36%
Handle travel rebooking, refunds or compensation
42%
SEA-6 Average
42%
Indonesia
38%
Singapore
48%
Malaysia
39%
Thailand
41%
Philippines
40%
Vietnam
37%
1. Responses to the question, “Assuming the AI assistant is generally reliable, for each task below, would you actually be comfortable allowing AI to do it on your behalf?”, n = 9,006
2. Responses to the question, “What is the highest spending limit you would be comfortable allowing AI to make decisions for without your approval?”, n = 9,006.
Source: Google/YouGov, Uncovering AI Adoption, Trust, and Autonomy in SEA, SEA-6, July 2026, n=9,006 AI users
2026 Full Report
Learn more about Southeast Asia’s digital economy and its AI landscape
