Singapore – Sea Limited and OpenAI have announced a new strategic partnership aimed at expanding artificial intelligence adoption and innovation across Southeast Asia and Brazil, with a focus on e-commerce, small business enablement, and software development initiatives.
The agreement builds on an existing relationship between the two companies and will focus on integrating AI capabilities into Sea’s ecosystem, particularly through its e-commerce platform Shopee. The partnership also seeks to broaden access to OpenAI products and support AI adoption among businesses and developers.
Forrest Li, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Sea, said: “Sea has always focused on using technology to improve the lives of consumers and small businesses across our markets. Our strategic partnership with OpenAI reflects a shared commitment to making AI more accessible and meaningful for the communities we serve. By combining OpenAI’s advanced AI capabilities with Sea’s vibrant ecosystem, we hope to deliver more intuitive AI-native experiences for consumers while enabling businesses of all sizes to use AI to grow and stay competitive in the digital economy.”
Denise Dresser, Chief Revenue Officer at OpenAI, said: “Sea has built an extraordinary ecosystem across some of the world’s most dynamic digital markets. By bringing OpenAI’s technology into the products and services people already use, we can make AI more useful and accessible in their everyday lives. This partnership will help more consumers discover new AI-powered experiences, give small businesses practical tools to grow, and enable more people to put AI to work as an operating layer across the company and the broader builder ecosystem.”
As part of the collaboration, Shopee is now available within ChatGPT for users in Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Taiwan, Vietnam, and Brazil. According to the companies, the integration allows users to discover products sold on Shopee through conversational prompts in ChatGPT and continue their shopping journey on the Shopee platform.
The companies said the integration enables users to seek recommendations for products such as gifts, fashion items, travel essentials, and other goods through natural language interactions.
Sea and OpenAI have been working together since 2025 to increase access to ChatGPT through promotional campaigns and the ShopeeVIP membership program. Under the expanded partnership, the companies plan to continue offering access to OpenAI products through ShopeeVIP while introducing new initiatives aimed at helping businesses adopt AI tools.
Among the planned initiatives is the introduction of ChatGPT for Business to Shopee’s seller ecosystem. The companies said the offering is intended to help businesses create product listings and marketing content, improve customer service processes, and automate operational tasks. Eligible sellers will be offered trial access along with onboarding resources, training programs, and best-practice guides.
The partnership will also support broader AI adoption efforts within Sea and among software developers. Earlier this year, the two companies jointly organised a regional Codex Hackathon series across Asia-Pacific to encourage experimentation and innovation using AI tools.
The first event in the series was held in Singapore on June 6, 2026, attracting more than 1,200 applications. Forty shortlisted teams participated in the final showcase, which was attended by Sea Co-Founder and Shopee Chief Product Officer David Chen, OpenAI Managing Director for International Oliver Jay, and OpenAI Head of Codex Thibault Sottiaux.
Additional Codex hackathons are planned in several Sea markets, including Vietnam, Taiwan, Indonesia, and Malaysia, in the coming months.
