Generative AI users in Southeast Asia have reached 243 million in less than three years, according to estimates. Personal paid subscriptions account for only 1 to 2 percent, but companies are expanding AI monetisation through e-commerce, digital advertising and automated customer service, CNBC reported on Wednesday local time.

An annual Economy SEA report released by Google, Temasek and Bain & Company said generative AI users in Southeast Asia are about 58 percent of the total workforce. The pace of adoption was four times faster than the spread of mobile internet. By contrast, the share of the population paying for personal AI subscriptions stayed at 1 to 2 percent.

Florian Hoppe, a partner at Bain & Company, said companies are creating AI’s commercial value across areas from online shopping to digital advertising. Companies are using AI to raise e-commerce conversion rates and handle repetitive customer inquiries so employees can focus on other work. Consumers may also be paying indirectly in the process of buying products and services developed with AI, he said.

Results are also emerging. Some 69 percent of consumers used AI for purchases that require complex comparisons, such as electronics. In early cases, conversion rates rose 10 percent from a year earlier after AI adoption, and average payment per order increased by up to 75 percent. Shopee is handling about 80 percent of customer inquiries with an AI chatbot, and cut cost per customer touchpoint by 30 percent from a year earlier.

Southeast Asian consumers’ high receptiveness to technology is also cited as a factor behind AI adoption. Some 75 percent agreed to AI agents finding the lowest price and buying on their behalf. Some 62 percent said they trust AI tools more than a year ago. Still, AI use per person remained at about 10 percent of U.S. levels. Singapore was mentioned as one of the faster AI adoption markets in Southeast Asia.

Southeast Asia’s digital economy is expected to grow 17 percent this year to $368 billion in gross merchandise value, and surpass $1 trillion in 2035. The online travel market is expected to grow 10 percent this year to $59 billion, and online media revenue including digital advertising and streaming is forecast to rise 22 percent to $44 billion. Ride-hailing and food delivery are also expected to grow 15 percent to $40 billion in gross merchandise value.