Singapore is set to become a hub for OpenAI as the ChatGPT developer eyes a regional expansion. The Southeast Asian country has “emerged as a leader in artificial intelligence,” CEO Sam Altman said in a statement, according to CNA. The AI developer hopes to partner with Singapore’s “thriving AI ecosystem,” he added.
The new office will support customers and partners in the Asia-Pacific region, and strengthen relationships with governments, businesses, and institutions. The office plans to hire as many as 10 employees before 2025, reports the Straits Times.
The office is the AI developer’s second in Asia, following the opening of a Japan office earlier this year.
OpenAI already has local partnerships in Singapore, including one with ride-hailing firm Grab announced at the end of May. The agreement gives Grab access to OpenAI’s technical expertise to develop solutions specific to Southeast Asia. One of Grab’s former board members, Oliver Jay, now serves as OpenAI’s managing director of international operations.
Singaporeans are some of the heaviest users of ChatGPT on a per capita basis, OpenAI claimed in its Wednesday statement, according to Bloomberg.
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In 2019, Singapore became one of the first countries to adopt a national AI strategy. The country not only hopes to attract investments in AI, but also wants to leverage its access to data collected as a hub for goods and services.
Singapore’s plan to keep up with AI giants like the U.S. and China is meant to ensure that residents can “compete on quality,” Simon Chesterman, vice provost at the National University of Singapore, said at the Fortune Brainstorm AI Singapore conference in July.
The country is also taking the lead in ensuring that Southeast Asia is better represented in the digital space through measures like the Southeast Asian Languages in One Network project (SEA-LION), an initiative to build a model that incorporates Southeast Asian languages.
On Wednesday, OpenAI also announced a partnership with AI Singapore, a joint government-academic project to encourage AI adoption. The ChatGPT developer is providing up to $1 million to help “ensure AI models are better suited to Southeast Asia’s diverse languages and cultures.”
