AI pacing in APAC, RAG footnotes, and Grab's fintech mix

This Week's Analysis

What calls for a slower pace of AI frontier development could mean for APAC

Short Reads

1. What should organisations consider about retrieval-augmented generation?

   An AI answer can cite a genuine source and still get the claim wrong. That was the starting point for this look at what organisations should consider when deploying retrieval-augmented generation (RAG), from source quality and retrieval to whether the cited material actually supports the answer.

   Read on Relay Asia →
2. Grab's fintech push is testing what a SEA super-app is for

   Grab still looks like rides and meals in daily use. Its second-quarter figures showed financial services revenue grew 59% year-on-year to USD 134 million, faster than deliveries or mobility. What does “super-app” mean when loans and digibank deposits become part of the same everyday platform?

   Read on Relay Asia →

Suggested Reads

• Second World Humanoid Robot Games takes place. The second World Humanoid Robot Games was held in Beijing this week. Associated Press reports organisers saying humanoids beat human sprint records, including Usain Bolt's 100 metres, in an Olympics-style meet. On a related note, just for giggles, watch Channel NewsAsia's compilation of the bloopers: robots falling over, veering off the track and crashing into the furniture. In some way, humanoid robotics is growing as a spectator sport.
• Fintech firms from Airwallex to Revolut are on a hiring spree in Singapore amid AI-driven boom. While a lot of the AI-jobs talk is about cuts, The Straits Times reports Airwallex, Revolut and YouTrip hiring in Singapore because of AI. Airwallex says it wants nearly 800 people there by year-end; Revolut's Asia-Pacific HR lead says AI is increasing demand for talent, not shrinking it. Worth reading if the displacement headline is all you have been seeing.
• Human voices still rank higher than AI when Southeast Asians decide what to buy. Have you tried using AI for shopping? Cube, impact.com and Dentsu surveyed 2,400 consumers across six Southeast Asian markets: about one in four already use generative AI in the shopping journey, but family, friends and creators still rank higher when people decide what to buy.
• CP Group and AWS announce collaboration at Thailand AI National Mission event. Bangkok produced an interesting conglomerate-hyperscaler pairing this week: CP Group named Amazon Web Services as a strategic technology partner at a national AI mission event. The Nation says AWS will support a target to upskill three million people in Thailand, with CP subsidiaries deploying the stack in retail and fintech.
• World Bank GovTech bootcamp for AI in governance and public administration. If you work in public-sector AI, this one's for you: The World Bank and Korea's Ministry of the Interior and Safety have opened a GovTech bootcamp in Seoul this December, aimed at government teams already piloting or deploying AI. Up to five government teams will be selected for the five-day, fully funded technical bootcamp. Applications close 2 October 2026.
• Singapore may raise the social media age on platforms with weak safeguards. At the Singapore National Day Rally last Sunday, Prime Minister Lawrence Wong said social media platforms must actually check that users are 13 rather than rely on self-declared age. If a platform's safeguards for young users remain weak, Singapore is prepared to raise the minimum age on that platform. Meanwhile, Australia's under-16 social media restrictions appear to be having a limited effect: new data shows most under-16s surveyed are still using age-restricted platforms, including Instagram and TikTok. Australia's experience is being watched closely as the UK, France and New Zealand pursue their own age restrictions.