Insights from the ASEAN Frontline

As AI becomes more widespread in society, simply “introducing” the technology is no longer the ultimate goal.
What truly matters is how it can be embedded into daily practice and sustained over time. At the heart of this process are, ultimately, people.

From our work in fields such as policing, healthcare, and media, one reality has become clear:
technology does not take root without people.

The Shortage of “People Who Can Use AI”

In policing, crime prediction models may be introduced, but whether they make a difference depends on how officers interpret the results and apply them to their patrol routines.
In healthcare, doctors need enough literacy to distinguish false positives rather than accepting AI-generated diagnoses at face value.
And in areas like fake image detection, people must not only use the technology but also understand its social and policy implications.

In short, it is not enough to introduce AI—we need people who can actually use it.

Why ASEAN Faces a Talent Gap

The challenge in ASEAN is not just a lack of skills, but the absence of teams that can continuously implement and improve AI systems.

• Gaps between education and industry needs

• Top talent concentrated in major tech firms

• High turnover and freelance culture among younger workers

These structural issues are major obstacles to making AI truly useful in society.

Our Answer: Grow, Don’t Compete

Our strategy is simple:
“Don’t fight over top talent. Grow your own.”

• Partner with regional universities to find resilient, motivated students

• Offer a “pre-internship” program from the second year of university

• Invest in two years of development, with remote career paths available after graduation

This long-term approach allows us to cultivate not just assistants, but individuals who can think critically, make proposals, and contribute to AI implementation.

When People Grow, Projects Transform

Through this system, our trainees have contributed to projects such as crime prediction with national police agencies and AI-assisted diagnostics in healthcare—and even offered their own improvement ideas.

This is more than securing manpower. It is about developing locally grounded, autonomous players who can drive social implementation forward.

Conclusion

The success of AI depends not on the technology itself, but on people.
Hiring expensive external talent may work in the short term, but it rarely lasts.
Those who remain are the people you have trained, trusted, and grown together with.

In ASEAN, sustainable AI adoption starts with human resource development.
This is the reality we continue to witness every day in the field.

Currently, we are preparing to sign an MoU with a university in Bangladesh, while also collaborating with a Dhaka-based AI company. In our next article, we plan to share insights into what the future of ASEAN might look like through the lens of our collaboration in Bangladesh.