‘Civilization’ has always been a precarious affair. Werner Herzog described it as a layer of thin ice over a sea of darkness and chaos.

It is also a concept that has been widely abused, being used as a hypocritical justification for such uncivilised acts as enslavement, wars, and colonisation. In the process, it has earned an understandable — though undeserved — negative reputation, but its capacity to be an agent of chaos itself is notable.

The ancient Romans, through whom the word entered the English language, understood it as the manner and form of human association befitting a ‘city’ or civitas — and took it to include the attitudes and conduct of people calling themselves ‘citizens’ (cives), and to encompass the institutions, ethical norms, and political framework that made it all possible and allowed it to perpetuate itself.

The benefits and artificiality of civilised societies

The benefits of such an arrangement are that it allows for the mutual, reinforcing contributions of individuals to be concentrated in a place and for a span of time. If implemented well, it creates conditions permitting human beings to reach the fullest creative and intellectual potential and material prosperity that circumstances may afford.

Nevertheless, the order this arrangement confers on life’s affairs is artificial, not natural. The price we pay is the struggle to preserve it and pass it on to future generations. This takes not only consistent and concerted effort but is continuously challenged by the very ideas, innovations, and technologies that it allows to come forth.

Challenges and disruptions: Generative AI and blockchain

The ‘layer of ice’ is indeed thin, and today, we must accept that it is not only threatened by its own fragility but by its melting point as well. The mutual contributions of individuals to our collective knowledge have created the vast corpus of written text on which the latest generative AI (GAI) systems have been successfully trained to mimic our thinking and emulate our speech. The accumulated technologies — and, I might add, the philosophies — of the web that link, sift, and distribute this information securely and transnationally have produced blockchain.

Also Read: Navigating the evolving landscape of blockchain regulation in the metaverse era

The rise of generative AI (GAI) — exemplified by ChatGPT — and blockchain typify the disruptive technology challenges to our current age.

Both threaten to replace jobs. GAI by its ability to simulate human reasoning and communicate through natural language and blockchain through its capacity to replace a vast economy of transactional intermediaries.

Both can potentially facilitate cybercrime. GAI by generating automated cyber-attacks, phishing emails, scamming campaigns, deep fakes, social engineering, and blockchain through the application of cryptocurrencies to money laundering and other illicit transactions, facilitating ransomware payments, illegal marketplaces, and so on. AI has distinguished itself as the latest addition to a long list of perceived existential threats of our own creation.

The moral ambiguity of powerful technologies

The perceived threats from these technologies stem, in part, from their moral ambiguity — they are power tools that may be put to any purpose. In the case of GAIs, a further concern is that the technology is still highly centralised, and many organisations that have built them have dubious reputations for managing personal and private information responsibly. There is an opportunity, however, to change this if we are bold enough to pursue it.

The path to empowerment: Decentralisation and responsible innovation

Decentralisation is a broad trend across industries. Computers transitioned from centralised mainframes to personal computers; cloud computing — which represented a brief reversion to a form of centralisation — is now being diffused in the form of ‘edge computing’ where servers are positioned closer to where their computing power is needed.

Also Read: Web2 vs Web3 people: Disruption amid decentralisation as blockchain goes mainstream

Likewise, energy is becoming increasingly distributed and decentralised as utility power station capacity is redistributed across rooftop solar and renewable generation, and the batteries used to store this surplus are distributed across whichever electric vehicles happen to be connected to the grid at a given time.

Adaptive manufacturing (3D printing) is another example of how highly centralised processes like manufacturing are distributing themselves throughout the economy. The decentralisation of generative AI can be next, and the role of blockchain will be to enable it.

Driving this will be a wealth of privately kept data and knowledge on institutional and personal computing systems. Enabling it will be that AI can be trained in a distributed manner through methods like federated learning. Federated learning involves training a common AI model piecemeal on individual and institutional data.

Because the resulting model is a neural network — a ‘black box’ — the data it was trained on remains private. A global model can be assembled through these individual pieces, and the results can be shared between all participants. Blockchain-based mechanisms for decentralised storage, provenance of model training, and incentive payments to training participants will form the infrastructure to make this possible.

With the decentralisation of AI will also come the decentralisation of its training, and with this will come the recognition that we, individually, are responsible for what we help create. What we bring forth will be a reflection of us, and the value it generates for this next chapter of civilisation will be a function of the value that we contribute to it and the values that we instil.

This is an empowering prospect that should inspire us to seize the opportunity and motivate us to learn all we can about these technologies to shepherd their advancement while fully participating in the rewards.  Our future progress shall continue to hinge not just on the technologies we create but on the wisdom with which we deploy them.

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Image credit: Canva

This article was first published on October 9, 2023

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Privacy concerns and Generative AI are often at odds, particularly in industries where data security is critical, such as medicine, finance, and government services. The use of public large language models (LLMs) typically involves sending data to servers controlled by the model’s owner, which poses significant risks. AI deployment options in these sectors are limited to avoid compromising data privacy and security, but this is where pints.ai comes in.

pints.ai addresses this challenge by offering a solution enabling organisations to harness AI’s power while maintaining data privacy.

Their technology allows companies to build and deploy smaller, specialised AI models within secure environments, such as an air-gapped “AI in a Box” that can be kept on-premises or within a private cloud infrastructure. This approach empowers businesses to apply Generative AI to high-value, sensitive data, unlocking insights and gaining a competitive edge without compromising security.

For example, in the insurance sector, pints.ai’s RevSurge Suite equips relationship managers with AI tools for communication, product comparison, and sales assistance. These tools are deployed on the client’s infrastructure to ensure data privacy.

Launched in 2023 by Co-Founders Partha Rao (CEO) and Calvin Tan (CTO) and run by eight employees in Singapore, pints.ai raised US$1.3 million from family offices, founders, and business angels in a Pre-Seed round in 2022.

Also Read: Ecosystem Roundup: Indian startup ecosystem bets on deeptech, Gen AI for next growth phase | VinFast delays US plant opening

The company also received the coveted AI SG StartUp Grant in 2024, which Rao says helps it accelerate its research and business development goals.

“Part of the funds will go into creating some fantastic datasets and research into building the 1.5 Pints Compact Model, which will be released in 2024,” he says.

“A part of the grant will also be allocated to create more research workstreams with our university partner, the Singapore University of Technology and Design (SUTD). We also plan to open-source much of our research to build a solid foundation for research-focused AI development in Singapore.”

In this interview, Rao explains more about how pints.ai aims to make a difference and how it is unlike the many AI companies in the market.

The following is an edited excerpt of the conversation.

What is your product development process?

Early in our product development, we decided to build to client needs so that we didn’t waste the team’s time and effort. We had dozens of conversations and figured the best approach to product development, especially when it comes to Generative AI, was to co-create with our clients.

It’s a win-win. For clients, this process ensures we tackle the “unsolvable problems” that other startups aren’t really addressing. For us, it gives us an opportunity to productise as we build.

Also Read: Learning reimagined: Enhancing literacy with real-time metaverse and Gen AI

While this was a difficult and time-consuming path, this strategy is reaping the rewards, as we are now largely revenue-funded. We are grateful to our early clients for putting their faith in us. With this strategy, we have avoided many of the pitfalls that AI startups that pre-build products based on imagined market needs face in monetising their products.

We partnered with clients to identify three gaps in AI and set about fixing them. First, we discovered that simple AI “products” were being packaged as bespoke consulting solutions. Second, the time taken from idea to deployment was too long. Finally, the post-proof-of-concept roll-outs often ran into trouble due to high computing costs.

With these three challenges in mind, we decided to build a framework to pre-train or fine-tune compact language models (our own proprietary models and open-source options) to build AI agents that leverage client-sensitive data and ensure it doesn’t get locked away.

We also co-developed use cases with each client and the basic framework for each of these use cases—from making our whole stack work across multiple deployment options to building custom datasets, a family of our own (1.5 Pints) and opensource LLMs, RAG architecture, database design, UX, and workflows.

What is your major plan with your solution?

Our solutions aren’t fully bespoke, and neither are they out-of-the-box. We fall somewhere in between – call it mass customisation of software. This allows us to deploy faster without sacrificing customisation – whether for data, corporate IT policies, internal guidelines, etc.

Also Read: Choco Up, Set Sail AI forge partnership to help businesses grow through Gen AI adoption

We have built our core stack as separate AI Apps and modules. These are bound together under the Pints RevSurge umbrella on AWS. On the enterprise end, we deploy a custom version and are launching a version of this product for mid-tier financial institutions.

We see this as an underserved market. While big banks and global insurers are spending millions to build copilots and AI agents, Independent Financial Advisors, Family Offices, and smaller asset management firms are unable to use Gen AI for their work.

RevSurge is a collection of powerful AI-assisted workflows that will boost productivity and improve client servicing in this segment.

What is your business model? What is your strategy to build a sustainable business?

We work with large enterprise clients as partners, not as software vendors. Our revenues are split into two streams. First, a license fee for using our proprietary architecture. Second, a service fee includes customisation – model building, fine-tuning, developing custom workflows – to ensure the deployed solution adheres to organisational and regulatory policies.

Our approach offers a practical alternative to the large, cumbersome models that dominate the market. It reduces the hardware footprint and aligns with more sustainable tech practices.

As a business, we are already an AI-powered team. We have integrated AI workflows in every aspect—whether it is code, UI/UX, content creation, or proposals—enabling us to operate at peak productivity. We aim to quadruple our revenues in 2025 and expand into new markets and industries.

Also Read: Gen AI in banking: How to ensure a successful transformation for an age-old industry

Who are the users of your solutions, and how do you acquire them?

We work with regional customers in highly regulated, critical infrastructure industries such as finance, insurance, law, AI/ML, and fraud detection. Our solutions’ end-users include insurance agents, wealth managers, and fraud investigators.

Some great advisors introduced us to our early clients. We now have a small sales team and run our sales funnel. We also have a close partnership with AWS in multiple markets and work with them to solve privacy and data security challenges in AI that their financial services client may highlight.

In addition to our proactive business development efforts, our wins at the Singapore India Hackathon at IIT Gandhinagar, SFF—AI Singapore, MAS’ AI in Finance Global Challenge, and the recent AI SG grant have been incredible in putting our name on the map.

What is your plan for 2024 and beyond?

We are entering a very exciting phase of growth. By the end of 2024, we aim to double the number of clients we serve. Our product development pipeline is also packed until the middle of next year.

2025 will mark the start of our expansion outside of Asia and will be a crucial year for us. We have already begun discussions with several SI partners in other markets to develop a joint go-to-market plan. Expansion into Europe is high on our agenda as the regulatory landscape around AI and data protection is more advanced there.

We are also doubling hiring in both our business development and engineering teams. We plan to double our headcount in six months and create country teams for Customer Success and Localisation.

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Image Credit: pints.ai

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As artificial intelligence (AI) becomes increasingly pervasive in our daily lives, it is crucial to tailor these technologies to suit the region’s diverse languages, cultures, and societal contexts. The ability of AI to understand and respond to the nuances of local languages and cultural norms is essential for its effective integration and widespread adoption.

In this light, e27‘s flagship conference, Echelon X, hosted a keynote speech titled ‘Adapting Artificial Intelligence for Southeast Asia: The Case of SEA-LION and Why The Region Needs Its Own Large Language Model’. The session delved into the unique challenges and opportunities of adapting AI for Southeast Asia, with a particular focus on the groundbreaking work of the SEA-LION project.

SEA-LION, Southeast Asia’s first large language model, is designed to understand and generate text in multiple languages spoken in the region. Dr. Leslie Teo, Senior Director at AI Singapore, led the keynote speech, highlighting the importance of developing AI technologies that are culturally and linguistically relevant to Southeast Asia. Dr. Teo emphasised the need for AI models that can accurately represent the region’s linguistic diversity and cultural contexts, ensuring that AI applications are both effective and inclusive.

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Fundraising or preparing your startup for fundraising? Build your investor network, search from 400+ SEA investors on e27, and get connected or get insights regarding fundraising. Try e27 Pro for free today.

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Scaling a business can be a complex and daunting task, often fraught with pitfalls and challenges. As companies grow, they face numerous obstacles that can hinder their progress and prevent them from reaching their full potential. Navigating these challenges effectively is crucial for sustained success and long-term growth.

As part of e27‘s flagship conference, the Echelon X keynote speech titled ‘Scaling is Hard: The 3 Most Common Mistakes and How to Avoid Them’ featured Rob Bier, Managing Partner at Trellis Partners.

In this session, Bier drew from his own book and extensive experiences to share valuable insights on the most common mistakes that companies make when scaling. He offered practical advice on how to avoid these pitfalls, providing a roadmap for businesses to navigate the complexities of growth more effectively.

Bier’s expertise in scaling businesses has been honed through years of working with startups and established companies alike. His insights are grounded in real-world experiences and proven strategies that have helped numerous organisations achieve their growth objectives. His keynote speech underscored the importance of learning from the mistakes of others and adopting a strategic approach to scaling.

By understanding the common pitfalls and implementing practical solutions, businesses can not only avoid costly errors but also accelerate their growth trajectory. With the right mindset and strategies in place, scaling a business can become a more manageable and rewarding journey, paving the way for long-term success and innovation.

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Fundraising or preparing your startup for fundraising? Build your investor network, search from 400+ SEA investors on e27, and get connected or get insights regarding fundraising. Try e27 Pro for free today.

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Dear reader,

The introduction of Singapore’s Platform Workers Bill marks a significant step towards securing the rights and well-being of a rapidly growing segment of the workforce.

With over 88,000 platform workers in Singapore, many serving essential roles through apps like Grab, Deliveroo, and Foodpanda, the bill seeks to address long-standing gaps in financial security and work safety.

By mandating Central Provident Fund contributions and work injury compensation, the government recognises the need for these workers to have protections similar to those of traditional employees. The creation of a legal framework for representation further empowers these workers, giving them a voice in disputes and collective bargaining.

This legislative move aligns Singapore with global trends, where governments are increasingly addressing the unique challenges faced by platform workers.

However, the decision to classify these workers as a distinct legal class, separate from both employees and the self-employed, also underscores the complexity of modern labour relations.

While the bill provides much-needed protections, it also raises questions about the future of work and the evolving definitions of employment.

Overall, this bill is a vital milestone in ensuring that platform workers are not left behind in Singapore’s evolving economy.

Sainul
Editor.

NEWS & VIEWS

Platform worker protections tabled in new Singapore bill
The bill proposes to implement Central Provident Fund contributions, work injury insurance, and a legal framework for representation; Platform workers include ride-hailing drivers and on-demand delivery workers serving apps such as Grab and Deliveroo.

Payoneer acquires Singaporean HR, payroll startup Skuad for US$61M
Skuad streamlines the hiring, onboarding, payroll, and managing global talent, eliminating the need for local entities; It will accelerate the fintech firm’s growth strategy by enhancing its global workforce management services.

Philippines leads mobile fintech app adoption in SEA: Study
The UnaFinancial research showed that penetration is expected to grow to 60% by 2030, with the highest levels observed in the Philippines (72%), Indonesia (64%), and Malaysia (61%); The penetration in SEA is expected to grow to 60% by 2030.

IoT firm UnaBiz hits first close of US$25M pre-series C round
The investors are Japan’s KDDI Open Innovation Fund 3 and KYOCERA Communication Systems; UnaBiz provides energy-efficient IoT solutions for firms in critical verticals, such as aerospace, facilities management, F&B, healthcare, and logistics.

Aprisium scores US$7M to expand contaminant detection solution to US, Europe
The investors are Cocoon Capital, Woh Hup, and Solisa Peppercorn; Aprisium offers solutions with on-site, real-time testing for the continuous and accurate detection of contaminants, including heavy metals and inorganic compounds.

Taiwan’s BBTruck extends pre-series A funding to over US$6M
The investors include Oasis Venture, H2U Corp., and StarWorks Entrepreneurial VC; The supply chain and logistics tech firm will use the funds for expansion into North America and Southeast Asia.

Growsari lands US$5M to empower 1.3M sari-sari store owners in Philippines
The investor is Oppenheimer Generations Asia; Growsari provides B2B e-commerce plaform and financial and last-mile logistics services to 100,000 sari-sari stores across the Philippines.

Mushroom Material nets US$5M to convert agri waste into eco-friendly packaging
The investors include Wavemaker Partners and SEEDS Capital; The cleantech startup grows millions of fungi-based pellets, which are then coated in a binding agent, allowing them to be shaped into customised packaging solutions.

Reforged Labs lands US$3.9M to power game ads with AI
The investors include DCM, Y Combinator, Goodwater Capital, and Phoenix Fund; Reforged Labs wants to leverage generative AI to automate and optimize aspects of video ad creation for mobile games.

D2C personal care product startup Evo Commerce bags U$2.1M to expand retail touchpoints
The investors include IJK Capital Partners, Chen Capital, Orvel Ventures, and Straits Angels; Evo Commerce’s flagship products are Bback, a hangover relief solution, and Stryv, which specialises in personal care electronics and beauty products.

Djoin secures funding to simplify MFIs’ lending process in Indonesia
The investor is 500 Global; Djoin improves and optimises loan management, reduces non-performing loans, and promotes financial stability for microfinance institutions.

Malaysia’s Newell Road receives funding from Antler to automate market research, business reporting
Newell Road leverages advanced AI and ML technologies to quickly gather data from various sources and produce comprehensive reports and analyses in minutes; The money will be used to develop Newell Road’s AI Analyst.

FEATURES & INTERVIEWS

Since last funding, KLAR Smile has achieved 40% compound monthly growth rate
Founded in 2020, KLAR Smile began by offering tailor-made clear aligners to correct teeth misalignments without conventional metal braces.

How Literatu uses AI to help students in Singapore improve their English writing skills
Literatu is working to integrate its AI-based writing solution into the country’s national online learning portal, Student Learning Space.

Following US Medicare approval, Lucence expands the global reach of its cancer detection service
Singapore-based Lucence uses genomic data to detect signs of cancer in patients. Their services are available in Asia and other regions.

Jackie Tan: Navigating the startup journey and paying it forward
Tan said that first-time founders can start a company without quitting their day jobs by testing ideas, talking to people, and building prototypes.

Echelon X: Akanksha Deswal on building an AI Agent workforce
The Echelon X keynote emphasised that the future of work lies in using AI to build a more connected, efficient, and innovative business landscape.

Echelon X: Gullnaz Baig and Shiv Choudhury on Growsari’s approach to non-technical customers
The Echelon X fireside chat discussed how Southeast Asian small businesses can scale technologies for non-technical audiences.

Echelon X: Adriel Yong and Piruze Sabuncu on AI’s role in SEA
The Echelon X fireside chat explored whether AI is poised to revolutionise industries and drive economic growth or if it’s just another tech bubble.

Echelon Philippines 2024: Catalysing innovation in SEA’s fastest emerging tech market
Echelon Philippines 2024 aims to harness the collective expertise of the Philippine and Southeast Asian startup ecosystems.

THOUGHT LEADERSHIP

The synergy of AI and DeFi: Shaping the future of finance
DeFi systems are able to adapt to market demands and provide cutting-edge monetary services to more people because they utilise AI.

Protecting innovation: Cybersecurity as the backbone of tech independence
As we celebrate the Independence Days of Singapore, Indonesia, and Malaysia, let’s also celebrate their strides in cybersecurity.

FROM THE ARCHIVES

Mitigating security and privacy risks: How AI assistant Capabara makes DPO’s role less painful
Capabara provides suggestions to address operational queries and info on regulatory mandates and streamlines data governance processes.

Why Korean investors are getting attracted to Southeast Asia
Korean investors see Southeast Asia as a fertile ground for the convergence of technological expertise and abundant and affordable labour.

How South Korea’s smart city startups curbed the spread of COVID-19
Smart city technology is not just a way to realise the gleaming metropolises of science fiction dreams; It can also be mustered in the fight against new and dynamic threats to urban society.

Why I left Silicon Valley to build a coding boot camp in Singapore
I felt inspired by the young entrepreneurs in Silicon Valley to start a coding boot camp here in Singapore. But it has not always been easy.

3 easy tips for SMEs to build overseas customer loyalty
The starting point should be an overall strategy for loyalty that incorporates hygiene factors and elements that build trust with the customer.

Blockchain technology for climate action? Here’s why it works
The underlying blockchain technology can play an essential role in sustainable development and addressing climate change.

AI revolution: Balancing human empathy and robotic efficiency in customer service
Striking a balance for an effective blend of AI and human empathy is key in the future of customer service.

Decentralisation, AI, and blockchain: Crafting the future of civilization
This article examines civilization, historical misuses, and the contemporary disruptions caused by generative AI and blockchain technologies.

Automation: Are you leading or lagging in the race?
Being at the forefront of automation entails using it to enhance human capabilities rather than substituting them.

Insurance industry is poised for its “PayPal moment” in Asia
I anticipate that more insurtech will focus on innovating the distribution of products to the unbanked and underbanked customer segments of the population.

Why disruption is no longer a buzzword in the Philippines
In the Philippines, digital transformation is an overall philosophy, not a linear path; This is how it is going to create an impact.

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