The AI work that will compound for Asean

ARTIFICIAL intelligence systems write code, do sophisticated analyses, draft legal briefs and execute multi-step tasks on their own. Capability is advancing fast, despite open challenges around alignment and safety.

Yet, capability does not automatically translate to economic impact. The information and communication technology (ICT) revolution taught us that. The largest gains did not go to those who built the chips and routers, but to those who reorganised work around them.

AI follows a similar pattern. Asean is well-placed to leverage AI to boost its economy. But the constraints that matter most are the ones no single member state can solve alone.