Where AI is already changing healthcare, Waymo in Singapore, and Vietnam’s visitor QR

This Week's Analysis

Where AI is already changing healthcare in Asia-Pacific

Short Reads

1. Waymo is coming to Singapore. Could driverless rides change how the city moves?

   Singapore’s Land Transport Authority has named Waymo as a new autonomous vehicle operator, alongside ComfortDelGro and Grab. Trained specialists are expected to begin road operations in western Singapore in 2027, giving the system time to adapt to local road layouts and monsoon conditions. Public driverless rides are targeted for 2028, subject to regulatory approval. The move also puts Waymo’s expansion beyond the United States into sharper focus. Tokyo is preparing for a potential commercial taxi service in 2027 with local partners, while Singapore is its first announced market in Southeast Asia. This Short Read looks at what has been announced, what still needs to happen, and why the distinction matters.

   Read on Relay Asia →
2. Vietnam is building one QR gateway for foreign payment apps

   Visitors to participating merchants in Vietnam can use UnionPay, Alipay or Weixin Pay (WeChat Pay) to scan a single VietQRGlobal code. That gives customers a common way to pay, even though the payment systems behind each app remain separate, connecting through NAPAS and local banking partners. Weixin Pay joined in August, adding to an existing Vietnam-China payment corridor rather than creating one from scratch. The Alipay connection also supports direct settlement in Chinese Yuan and Vietnamese Dong. The interesting part is not simply that more payment apps can scan the same code. It is how a shared acceptance network can make cross-border payments easier without merging the systems behind them. This Short Read unpacks how it works.

   Read on Relay Asia →

Suggested Reads

• Southeast Asia’s digital economy is tracking toward USD 1 trillion, and generative AI adoption is already widespread. The eleventh annual e-Conomy SEA report from Google, Temasek and Bain landed this week with some big numbers. The report projects Southeast Asia’s digital economy to reach around USD 368 billion in gross merchandise value in 2026, up 17% year on year, and is on track to approach USD 1 trillion by 2035. The report also estimates that generative AI has reached around 243 million people, or roughly 58% of the region’s workforce, in under three years. It projects regional AI usage could grow by up to 60 times by 2030. Widespread consumer adoption does not necessarily mean businesses are ready to deploy AI at scale. Still, the report offers a clearer picture of where Southeast Asia’s digital economy stands, and where AI might take it next.
• IMF chief Kristalina Georgieva warns that AI risks could outweigh the upside without safeguards. At the IMF meetings in Bangkok last week, IMF chief Kristalina Georgieva made the case that AI is already strengthening the global economy, but that without adequate safeguards and an ethical foundation, the risks could outweigh the opportunities. She called for a combination of industry self-regulation and engagement from major AI jurisdictions, including the United States, China and India. On the same panel, Anthropic co-founder Jack Clark picked up her Formula One analogy and joked that it was like racing at night, perhaps without brakes. It’s a good line, but the underlying point is worth taking seriously. The conversation about AI’s economic potential increasingly comes with a parallel discussion about how to manage the risks.
• Thailand’s Eastern Economic Corridor sees data centres as infrastructure for an intelligent economy. Thailand’s Eastern Economic Corridor is positioning data centres as a foundation for its next phase of economic growth. In The Nation, EEC Office secretary-general Dr Chula Sukmanop discusses plans to zone digital industries near energy networks, prepare recycled water for data centres, and speed up the rules for setting up operations. PTT is also preparing to supply the 300 to 800 megawatts that data centres may need. Meanwhile Datacenters.com reported that Thailand is accelerating work on regulatory guidelines for data centre businesses as investors await clarity on land use, infrastructure requirements and community safety standards. A draft framework is expected to take shape in the first quarter of 2027.
• Meta argues for stronger teen safeguards and parental choice, rather than social-media bans. In an interview with The Astana Times, Meta’s Asia-Pacific director of public policy for products, Philip Chua, makes the company’s case for stronger safeguards and parental choice rather than outright social-media bans. He points to content settings for teenagers, age assurance at the app-store or operating-system level, and the risk that bans could push young people towards less regulated apps. It’s worth reading as an account of Meta’s position in a debate that continues across the region.
• Singapore clinics are using AI for bookings and enquiries. While our Analysis looks at AI reading medical images, this piece by Asian Business Review offers a different view of how AI is being used in healthcare, through the more routine work of running a clinic. Private dental, osteopathy and physiotherapy clinics are using AI to handle bookings and enquiries, while bringing staff back into the conversation when clinical judgement, unusual requests or reassurance are needed. One founder’s point stood out to me: accountability cannot disappear into “the AI did it”.
• A skit on the AI “CEO factory” fantasy. I genuinely believe AI will help create new businesses and start-ups. I’m less convinced by the idea that everyone will be making money from AI agents overnight. That’s why Harris Alterman’s skit cracked me up. It takes aim at the frictionless fantasy: press a button, spawn a fleet of agent-run companies, mint millions, and somehow end up in a world where nobody has a job but everyone is a chief executive. The parody gets at something worth remembering: making it easier to start a business does not make building a viable one effortless.