CHENGDU, July 28 (Xinhua) -- Before an artificial intelligence (AI) chatbot can answer a learner in Bangkok, the technology behind it may already have crossed several borders throughout Asia.
The chatbot is available on AI Class ASEAN, a digital learning platform run by the Jakarta-based ASEAN Foundation with support from Google.org. It is powered by Southeast Asian Languages in One Network (SEA-LION), a family of open-source large language models developed by AI Singapore to better understand the region's languages, cultures and contexts.
The platform and the broader SEA-LION family, which includes a flagship model built on Alibaba's open-source Qwen, provide an exciting preview of how AI can take shape across the Asia-Pacific through open-source development, regional adaptation and cross-border use.
That cross-border approach came into sharper focus in the southwest Chinese city of Chengdu, where more than 500 representatives from Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) economies gathered for a series of Digital Week events running from July 16 to 29. The events included the APEC Digital and AI Ministerial Meeting on July 23 under the theme "Digital Technologies and AI for the Empowerment of an Asia-Pacific Community."
In 2025, APEC's 21 member economies were home to 3 billion people and accounted for 61.6 percent of global real GDP, according to official APEC statistics. Their capabilities cover several areas of the AI value chain, from model development and semiconductor production to manufacturing.
APEC leaders have said that this diversity leaves the region "uniquely positioned to harness the strategic potential of AI." The key question is how these strengths can be connected to transform innovation into broader growth.
Speaking at the ministerial meeting, Thai Digital Economy and Society Minister Chaichanok Chidchob said the emphasis should be on moving forward together and ensuring that every economy can take part in the digital future, rather than on which economy is moving faster. He called for stronger cooperation to build trusted digital infrastructure and broaden the reach of AI capacity-building efforts.
Ministers at the meeting adopted the 2026 APEC Digital and AI Ministerial Statement, known as the Chengdu Statement. It encourages member economies to promote digital and AI transformation in sectors such as manufacturing, agriculture and services, and to support micro, small and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) with affordable, easy-to-deploy digital products and solutions.
In Singapore, such support has taken the form of industry-specific AI playbooks designed to help MSMEs and industry associations apply AI solutions, said Singapore's Senior Minister of State for Digital Development and Information Tan Kiat How. The playbooks are designed to help firms move from experimentation to transformation, addressing the uncertainty many still feel about how to use AI to reshape their business processes.
Beyond business operations, Microsoft is using AI to analyze satellite imagery, acoustic data and ecological information to help protect rainforests, marine ecosystems and endangered species, according to Microsoft Corporate Vice President Zhang Qi. AI's greatest value, he said, lies in solving real problems, helping people identify problems earlier and make better decisions.
China brings significant capacity to the region's efforts to expand the practical use of AI. By the end of 2025, the country had more than 6,200 AI companies, and more than 30 percent of manufacturing enterprises with an annual main business revenue of at least 20 million yuan (about 2.94 million U.S. dollars) had adopted AI, according to Li Lecheng, China's minister of industry and information technology.
During APEC Digital Week, AR glasses developed by Sichuan-based smart glasses maker INMO showed how China is translating its AI capabilities into practical products. The glasses support real-time translation in 261 languages, have been sold in multiple countries and regions, and were made available to journalists covering the events in Chengdu.
Alongside products such as the AR glasses, China has announced that it will provide 5,000 opportunities for AI training and seminars for developing countries over the next five years. Wei Wei, an official with the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, said China would work with APEC economies to build innovation platforms, develop high-value AI applications and improve coordination on standards, risk monitoring and emergency response.
At the APEC High-Level Forum on AI, held in Chengdu on July 24 as part of APEC Digital Week, China announced plans to establish a center in Qianhai, Shenzhen, to promote APEC cooperation on cross-border data flows. The planned center will serve as an open platform for policy research, regulatory alignment and services for businesses.
The forum issued the Statement on Promoting AI Development in the Asia-Pacific Region, outlining cooperation on secure AI development and deployment, responsible adoption, an enabling environment for innovation and broad-based cooperation. It called for continued APEC policy dialogues on AI innovation, adoption and access as the technology evolves.
Speaking at the forum, APEC Secretariat Executive Director Eduardo Pedrosa said AI's future would depend on the partnerships economies build, the choices they make together and their shared commitment to ensuring that innovation benefits everyone. ■
