The agentic pivot: Google and Sea partner to expand AI tools for e-commerce and gaming

Summary

Google and Southeast Asian tech firm Sea Ltd have announced a strategic partnership to develop artificial intelligence tools for e-commerce and gaming. The collaboration will focus on building AI capabilities for Shopee and supporting game development at Garena, highlighting how major platforms are embedding AI deeper into digital services.

JAKARTA, Feb. 19, 2026 — Google and Sea Ltd said they will work together to develop new artificial intelligence tools for Sea’s businesses, including its e-commerce platform Shopee and gaming arm Garena, as companies race to integrate AI across consumer services.

The partnership underscores a broader shift toward applying AI to operational workflows and product development rather than limiting its role to chatbots or search features.

AI tools for Shopee’s e-commerce ecosystem

A central focus of the collaboration will be the development of AI-driven capabilities to enhance the Shopee marketplace.

• Customer experience: The tools are expected to improve product discovery, personalization, and operational efficiency across the platform.
• Seller support: AI features may help merchants with catalog management, marketing optimization, and customer engagement.
• Scalable infrastructure: The partnership will leverage Google’s cloud and AI technologies to support large-scale deployment across Southeast Asia.

Supporting innovation at Garena

The companies will also explore ways to use AI to support game development and operations at Garena.

Potential applications include improving development workflows, enhancing in-game experiences, and enabling more efficient content creation — areas where AI is increasingly becoming a core productivity tool across the gaming industry.

Strategic context: intensifying AI competition

The partnership reflects intensifying competition among global and regional tech firms to embed AI directly into high-traffic platforms.

Southeast Asia — one of the world’s fastest-growing digital markets — is emerging as a key battleground where companies test new AI-driven commerce and entertainment models.

Why this matters

The collaboration highlights how AI is moving from experimental features to core infrastructure for major digital platforms.

For the region’s digital economy, deeper AI integration could reshape how consumers shop online, how sellers operate, and how gaming content is developed — reinforcing Southeast Asia’s role as a major growth engine for global tech.

FAQs

Q1: What are Google and Sea building together?

They are developing AI tools for Shopee’s e-commerce platform and exploring AI applications for Garena’s gaming operations.

Q2: Will this change how people shop on Shopee?

The goal is to improve personalization, search, and platform efficiency, though specific features have not yet been detailed.

Q3: Why is Southeast Asia important for this partnership?

The region has a rapidly growing digital economy and large user base, making it a key market for deploying AI at scale.

Q4: Is this mainly about cloud services?

Google’s cloud and AI technologies are expected to play a central role in supporting the collaboration.