Generative Artificial Intelligence (Gen AI) is revolutionising industries globally, and Southeast Asia is no exception. As the region continues to embrace this transformative technology, understanding and leveraging Gen AI's potential can set your business apart in a rapidly evolving landscape.

Business leaders discussed how companies can harness the full potential of GenAI at a panel hosted by Accenture on 7 May 2024, at the sidelines of Amazon Web Services’ AWS ExecLeaders Event.

Here are three takeaways from the session:
 

1. Upskill your employees for an AI-dominated future

Investing in talent development is crucial for businesses looking to leverage Gen AI. "There is a growing need for upskilling and new roles like software engineers and data scientists in the AI landscape," said Carly Wishart, Director of Data Centre Planning and Delivery at Amazon Web Services (AWS).

Margaret Vo, Head of Technical Education at Anthropic, noted that it is important to “enable more people to use AI tools effectively, and not solely focus on talent with advanced technical skills”.

By upskilling your workforce and embracing new roles, companies can ensure they have the expertise needed to implement and benefit from AI technologies. Collaboration with educational institutions and industry partners can further enhance these efforts.

To this end, at the 10th AWS ASEAN Summit in Singapore in May 2024, AWS announced a flagship AI programme, AWS AI Spring Singapore, to accelerate AI adoption and skills development across the country’s workforce and public and private sectors, with an aim to train 15,000 individuals in local institutes of higher learning on AI skills from 2024 to 2026.

The company designed the programme to complement Singapore’s National AI Strategy 2.0 (NAIS2.0), which emphasises broad AI adoption and increasing public confidence in using and deploying AI.

Beyond this, AI Singapore, a national research institute launched in May 2017 dedicated to anchoring deep capabilities in AI, offers a variety of self-directed learning resources for students and working professionals to accelerate their AI learning journey.

2. Make sure responsible AI is part of your company's DNA

Vo recommends organisations adopt AI models that suit business needs, as opposed to only prioritising the most advanced models and tools. Similarly, moves to implement AI solutions should also come with robust data privacy measures and actions that seek to address and eliminate biases in AI systems.

 “Ensuring that high ethical standards are at the forefront of AI deployment will deliver the best results for users and increase trust among developers, customers, policymakers and the general public,” noted Anissh Pandey, Senior Director of Cloud Service Providers, Asia Pacific at Nvidia.

In Singapore, there are advisories available for companies that provide guardrails for data usage in AI systems. For instance, the Personal Data Protection Commission (PDPC) Singapore has issued advisory guidelines on use of personal data in AI recommendation and decision systems.
 

3. Embrace rapid change

“Generative AI is not your average technology revolution,” pointed out Ng Wee Wei, Southeast Asia Market Unit Lead and Senior Managing Director at Accenture.
 

To succeed and reap the benefits of AI, businesses will therefore have to create a culture of experimentation and reinvention, continually adapting and integrating new AI capabilities to maintain a competitive edge.

Citing the drastic effect Gen AI has had on marketing strategies and outcomes, Chan Ih Ming, Executive Vice President at the EDB, added that businesses that don’t focus on preparing their employees well will not survive. While upskilling remains critical, he noted that it is important to “give people confidence and develop that confidence to use AI to experiment and ultimately get comfortable.”