Sea Ltd expands Google partnership to develop AI across Shopee, Garena, and Monee

Sea has expanded its partnership with Google to explore AI features across its gaming, e-commerce, and financial services platforms.

Sea Ltd has widened its partnership with Google to work on artificial intelligence projects across its main businesses, including gaming unit Garena, e-commerce platform Shopee, and financial services arm Monee.

The move builds on earlier ties between the two companies. Shopee already takes part in the YouTube Shopping Affiliate Program, while Garena has worked with Google on the Free Fire League through Google Play. The latest agreement shifts the focus toward using AI tools more deeply across Sea's platforms.

Sea chairman and CEO Forrest Li described AI as the "next big technology revolution," saying the company sees strong potential for it to reshape its operations and create value in its markets. He added that working with Google should help scale business uses of AI and improve access to the technology for users in regions that remain digitally underserved.

Under the new strategic plan, both firms will test how AI systems could support different areas of Sea's ecosystem. In gaming, Garena is looking at how Google's AI tools may help improve player experiences and assist game development teams in managing production and live operations. The company may also take part in early pilot programs tied to Google's latest AI research.

Shopee's focus will be on so-called agentic commerce. Sea and Google said they plan to explore building an AI-driven shopping prototype that links Shopee with Google services. The idea is to help users discover products, interact with listings, and complete purchases more smoothly across platforms.

In digital finance, Monee will work with Google on the Agent Payments Protocol (AP2), an open framework meant to support AI-enabled payment flows. Monee will provide feedback to help ensure the system works securely and fits Southeast Asia's financial services environment. The companies may later test payment features based on the protocol within their platforms.

The partnership reflects a wider push across the tech sector to find practical uses for AI beyond chatbots. Firms are increasingly testing systems that can handle tasks such as browsing products across apps or managing multi-step online actions on behalf of users.

Competition in Southeast Asia's e-commerce market remains active. Alibaba, whose Lazada platform rivals Shopee in the region, released a new AI model earlier this week that it said was designed for what it called the "agentic AI era."

Shopee continues to hold a large share of the regional online retail market. Consultancy Momentum Works reported that the platform accounted for 52% of Southeast Asia's e-commerce market in 2024.

Sanjay Gupta, president of Google Asia-Pacific, said the partnership combines Google's AI capabilities with Sea's digital ecosystem to build products across gaming, commerce, and financial services. He noted that the companies are aiming to develop these tools with privacy and user safety in mind, while helping speed up AI adoption and support digital growth across Southeast Asia.

The new collaboration follows a 2024 agreement between Shopee and YouTube that linked creators with Shopee sellers, allowing viewers in Southeast Asia to discover and buy products through video content.