OpenAI’s warning for Indonesia

The AI boom is here. But without more builders, Indonesia risks being left behind, warns OpenAI's top economist.

Read from your browser Daily Newsletter Welcome to Tech in Asia's daily newsletter, your essential dose of Asia's tech and startup buzz. Not on the mailing list? Register here. Got a story tip? Send it to editors@techinasia.com.   IN FOCUS What's lacking in Indonesia's growing AI ecosystem, according to an OpenAI executive The real battleground for Southeast Asia's AI founders Yet another open-source AI model from a Chinese tech giant   Hello Betamax Indonesia has long been one of the world's most active social media markets. Despite this, the country has not built a breakout global platform of its own. Could the country avoid a similar fate with AI? Indonesia is among the top three Asia Pacific countries for ChatGPT usage, pointed out OpenAI chief economist Ronnie Chatterji at last week's Asia Economic Summit in Jakarta. However, the country still lags when it comes to AI developers. His message: The region has the users. What it needs now are the builders. To be fair, this isn't just about Indonesia. Southeast Asia as a whole is grappling with a shortage of advanced AI talent, fragmented infrastructure, and a heavy reliance on imported tools. The ecosystem to support local innovation - like homegrown large language models, for example - remains underdeveloped partly because startups don't see it as a viable business. Today's top story explores what the OpenAI executive thinks Indonesia should do to gain more leverage in the time of AI. It also covers his thoughts on how the tech will affect the job market - something his team is actively modeling for countries across the world. In the race to shape AI's future, being a heavy user won't count for much without building anything of your own. Glenn Kaonang, journalist     THE BIG STORY  OpenAI to Indonesia: Don't just use ChatGPT - build with it Formerly a Duke University professor and advisor to the Biden administration, Ronnie Chatterji now leads OpenAI's efforts to understand how AI is reshaping global economies. His take on Indonesia: While AI adoption is booming, the country still lacks a meaningful base of builders. There's a risk of it being a missed opportunity, especially with AI becoming more economically efficient and foundational players like OpenAI opening up their ecosystems to support developers. Time is of the essence, but Indonesia has not missed the boat - yet.     FROM OUR ARCHIVES SEA's AI players target end users as DeepSeek stifles LLMs Southeast Asia certainly has AI builders, but many are steering clear of foundational models. With intense competition from global players and a surge in open-source options, building their own large language models just doesn't make much business sense. Is that a bad thing? Not necessarily. After all, users prioritize functionality, not who provides the underlying model. But as Southeast Asia determines its place in the global AI ecosystem, this highlights the constraints that regional developers face as they aim to build commercially viable tools.   TRENDINGS NEWS 1️⃣ Alibaba debuts Ovis-U1: an open-source multimodal AI The new model is said to be very efficient in processing both text and image inputs. It also demonstrates strong performance in areas such as object recognition, text extraction, and mathematical reasoning. 2️⃣ Hong Kong's IPO pull grows stronger as more Singapore firms list Companies like IFBH and Mirxes have recently raised around US$140 million from the Hong Kong stock exchange. The Singapore Exchange, meanwhile, has seen only one IPO so far in 2025 from automotive group Vin's Holdings. 3️⃣ Chinese robotics startup Noetix gains fame after marathon N2, the firm's US$6,000 humanoid robot, finished second in the world's first half-marathon for robots in April. Noetix plans to deliver 2,000 robots by the end of 2025, with the aim of producing 10,000 units annually by next year. 4️⃣ Singapore healthtech startup Rebee raises $1.18m seed funding The company's digital platform integrates wearable sensors to help users who are recovering from musculoskeletal pain at home. The tech aims to make physiotherapy more accessible through guided exercises, real-time feedback, and progress tracking. 5️⃣ CATL breaks ground on $6b battery ecosystem in Indonesia The planned battery cell plant is projected to have a capacity of 15 gigawatt-hours. The ecosystem will also include nickel mines, smelters, and a battery precursor factory.   EVENTS HAPPENING You can also check out a curated list of trending tech events over here and Tech in Asia's signature events here. Tech in Asia Conference 2025 | Oct 22–23 – Jakarta Our VIP pass sold out fast last year. Get concierge-like service and effortless access to all events. The pass is designed for top executives seeking curated connections and efficiency. Secure your premium experience now! CTO of the Year Award 2025, powered by AWS – Deadline: Jul 31 Vietnam's tech leaders are making bold moves—MoMo, Sky Mavis, Trusting Social… but who will represent the nation on the big stage? Think you've got what it takes to carry the flag for Vietnam? Step up or nominate someone who should here. Who should join Singapore's Top Fintech Companies 2026? Earning a spot among Singapore's Top Fintech Companies signals strong traction, trust, and industry leadership. Building in payments, neobanking, digital assets, or beyond? This is your chance to be seen by investors, partners, and ecosystem leaders. Applications are pouring in! Apply now to be at the forefront of the industry.   WHO'S HIRING You can post a job here or search for jobs here. Product Specialist at PT Sinergy Informasi Pratama Jakarta, Indonesia Digital Media Planner [Mediatics] at Playmakers Jakarta, Indonesia Social Media Specialist (Female Daily Studio by Female Daily Network) at Female Daily Network Jakarta, Indonesia ADVERTISE | SUBSCRIBE | HIRE | FIND JOBS P.S. Don't miss out on the biggest tech news and analysis. Add newsletter@techinasia.com to your address book, contacts, or safe sender list. Or simply move us into your inbox. Tech in Asia thanks our partners for supporting our newsletters. Sponsorship has no influence on editorial content. Too many emails? Switch to a different frequency or get new content through our preference center, or unsubscribe. 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