Go urges ASEAN to prepare for growing AI demand

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MANILA – The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) member states must evolve to keep pace with growing demand for artificial intelligence (AI), Fina...

AI PRIORITIES. Finance Secretary Frederick Go delivers his speech during the ASEAN Business and Investment Summit at the Solaire Resort in Parañaque City on Sunday (Nov. 15, 2026). Go said ASEAN member states must evolve to keep pace with growing demand for artificial intelligence (AI). (Photo courtesy of DOF)

MANILA – The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) member states must evolve to keep pace with growing demand for artificial intelligence (AI), Finance Secretary Frederick Go said Sunday.

“ASEAN needs to focus on two things for AI: evolution and integration. Our economies need to evolve to adapt to this new demand, and we must know where to integrate our efforts to maximize results,” Go said during the ASEAN Business and Investment Summit at the Solaire Resort in Parañaque City.

Citing Asian Development Bank data, Go said Southeast Asia’s economy is growing at nearly 5 percent, supported in part by the global investment boom in artificial intelligence (AI).

He said the world is expected to invest around USD1 trillion in AI this year, with just four American companies accounting for more than USD700 billion in infrastructure spending.

“I doubt that an ASEAN member’s treasury will want to match that. Our job, then, is to make this region the place where that capital will land, on terms that will serve our people and benefit our economies,” he said.

“We can only do that as one integrated market, with common rules, connected payments and connected power,” Go added.

On the finance track, Go said the Philippines is pushing for regional payment connectivity that would allow money to move across ASEAN as easily as data.

“Payments connectivity is the rail on which AI-driven commerce will run. Capital-market depth is how ASEAN companies can fund data centers without depending entirely on foreign balance sheets,” he said.

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