Indonesia’s Ministry of Communication and Digital (Kemkomdigi) has launched an investigation into the alleged misuse of Grok AI, an artificial intelligence feature integrated into X, over concerns that it is being used to generate and distribute immoral content, including manipulated personal photos created without consent.

The probe follows preliminary findings by the ministry indicating that Grok AI lacks explicit and adequate safeguards to prevent the creation and dissemination of pornographic content derived from real images of Indonesian citizens. Authorities warn that such misuse poses serious risks to an individual’s privacy and their right to control their own image.

Also Read: Building with intention: The ethical dilemma of AI innovation and responsible creation

“Preliminary findings show that there are no specific arrangements in Grok AI to prevent the use of this technology in the creation and dissemination of pornographic content based on personal photos. This risks causing serious violations of citizens’ privacy and self-image rights,” said Alexander Sabar, Director General of Digital Space Supervision.

Kemkomdigi stressed that the digital manipulation of personal images goes beyond moral concerns, framing it as a direct deprivation of an individual’s control over their visual identity. The ministry noted that such violations can lead to psychological distress, social harm, and long-term reputational damage, particularly for women and minors.

In response, the ministry is coordinating with Electronic System Operators (PSEs) to ensure the deployment of stronger protection mechanisms. These include enhanced content moderation systems, preventive measures against the creation of immoral deepfakes, and faster response processes for reports related to privacy and self-image violations.

“Every PSE is obliged to ensure that the technology they provide does not become a means of privacy violations, sexual exploitation, or destruction of a person’s dignity,” Sabar said.

The ministry also reiterated that compliance with Indonesian laws and regulations is mandatory for all digital platforms operating in the country. Failure to cooperate or comply could result in administrative sanctions, including the suspension or termination of access to Grok AI services and the X platform within Indonesia.

Under Indonesia’s newly enacted Criminal Code (Law Number 1 of 2023), which came into force on January 2, 2026, pornographic content is explicitly regulated. Article 172 defines pornography as material containing obscenity or sexual exploitation that violates moral norms. On the other hand, Article 407 stipulates penalties ranging from a minimum of six months to a maximum of ten years’ imprisonment, or fines in accordance with the law.

Sabar added that victims of photo manipulation, immoral deepfakes, or violations of self-image rights are encouraged to pursue legal remedies, including reporting cases to law enforcement agencies or filing complaints with the ministry.

“We appeal to all parties to use imitation intelligence technology responsibly. The digital space is not a lawless space; there is privacy and the right to self-image of every citizen that must be respected and protected,” he said.

The investigation places Grok AI under growing regional and global scrutiny. Regulators in markets such as India, France, Malaysia, and Turkey have also raised concerns about the misuse of generative AI, signalling the possibility of tighter controls, feature restrictions, or even platform blocks if existing safeguards remain insufficient.

While there is no official data on Grok’s adoption in Indonesia, overall AI usage in the country is estimated to range between 59 per cent and 65 per cent. Grok, which is tied to X’s premium user base, is believed to account for only a small fraction of that figure, especially when compared to widely used tools such as ChatGPT, Google’s Gemini, and local models like Sahabat-AI, which support Bahasa Indonesia and indigenous languages. Among premium smartphone users, Samsung’s Galaxy AI reportedly records adoption levels of up to 87 per cent.

Also Read: Building AI on a foundation of accountability

The case underscores intensifying pressure on AI providers to embed ethical safeguards by design. Companies such as OpenAI and Meta already deploy strict content filters and usage policies to limit harmful outputs, while emerging techniques, including image alteration and deepfake detection via metadata and AI signatures, are gaining traction.

For Indonesia, the Grok AI investigation reflects a broader regulatory push to protect privacy, curb non-consensual deepfakes, and assert that accountability in the digital space applies equally to advanced AI systems and the platforms that deploy them.

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The narrative of Southeast Asia’s tech landscape in 2025 has become a tale of one city’s absolute dominance over its peers. Singapore-based firms have effectively cornered the market, accounting for a staggering 91 per cent of all funding witnessed by tech companies across the region.

According to the “SEA Tech Annual Funding Report 2025” by Tracxn, the city-state secured a massive US$4.7 billion in total capital throughout the year. This concentration of wealth highlights Singapore’s status as the region’s primary haven for investors during a period of global economic recalibration.

Also Read: From US$107M lows to a US$491M finish: SEA’s volatile 2025

The gap between Singapore and other regional hubs is now a chasm rather than a mere lead. Jakarta, traditionally the second powerhouse of the region, trailed far behind with just US$212 million, representing a mere 4 per cent of the total funding pool.

Other major cities, including Bangkok, Kuala Lumpur, and Ho Chi Minh City, barely moved the needle, with Bangkok raising US$61 million and Kuala Lumpur securing US$41.3 million.

This disparity suggests that investors are increasingly prioritising the mature regulatory framework and deep liquidity available in Singapore over the high-growth, high-risk emerging markets nearby.

Large-scale late-stage deals were the primary engine behind this capital concentration. Major highlights included Princeton Digital Group’s US$1.3 billion Series C round and Digital Edge’s US$640 million Series D round, both of which were anchored in Singapore. These mega-rounds demonstrate that while the region as a whole may be facing headwinds, Singapore remains a global magnet for “big ticket” infrastructure and fintech investments.

Also Read: Singapore surpasses San Francisco as world’s top hyper-growth startup hub

The city-state’s prowess is not just limited to late-stage capital; it also remains the most fertile ground for new founders. Singapore accounted for 41 per cent of all new companies founded in the region over the last two years, significantly outpacing Jakarta’s 7 per cent. With institutions like SEEDS Capital and Integra Partners leading the charge in early-stage investments, Singapore has built a self-sustaining ecosystem that its neighbours are currently struggling to replicate.

Singapore is acting as the region’s giant lighthouse, drawing in nearly every dollar of capital while the rest of the Southeast Asian coast remains largely in the dark.

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The modern data centre is under unprecedented pressure. The surge of AI-driven applications, e-commerce data, and the rollout of 5G has created an insatiable demand for processing power. However, with this comes a significant challenge: heat. As chip densities increase and GPUs become more power-hungry, traditional air-cooling systems can no longer keep pace. Today, cutting-edge data centre racks can consume over 20,000 watts, pushing these systems to the brink.

In Southeast Asia, where digital infrastructure is rapidly expanding, data centres are under immense pressure to deliver faster, more efficient performance. Having spent years at the intersection of technology and infrastructure, I’ve seen firsthand how these advances have exposed a critical issue: our existing cooling systems are no longer sustainable. The future of data centres—and Southeast Asia’s digital revolution—requires a new approach. Liquid cooling is no longer a luxury; it’s an essential solution to the relentless heat generated by today’s technological innovations.

Why liquid cooling is crucial for AI and data centres 

AI’s rapid growth has revolutionised industries but has also introduced a critical heat management challenge. High-performance GPUs, the backbone of AI and machine learning applications, produce excessive heat that air-cooling systems struggle to handle. This inefficiency leads to higher operational costs and raises concerns about sustainability and system reliability.

Liquid cooling represents a transformative shift. By efficiently transferring heat away from components, it allows for higher rack densities and minimises the risk of system failure due to overheating. Liquid cooling can make chips run more efficiently and release their potential performance.This makes liquid cooling indispensable for mission-critical AI applications, where uninterrupted performance is key.

We see this shift gaining momentum across the industry. For instance, NVIDIA’s latest Blackwell GPUs are designed with liquid cooling in mind, reflecting a broader industry move towards more advanced cooling solutions. Liquid cooling systems have proven their ability to deliver improved thermal management, reduced energy consumption, and optimised space utilisation.

Southeast Asia’s advantage: A clean-slate approach

Meanwhile, Southeast Asia’s digital transformation offers a unique advantage. As e-commerce booms and 5G rolls out across the region, countries like Indonesia—with over 200 million projected internet users by 2025—are at the forefront of this growth. Unlike established markets burdened by legacy infrastructure, Southeast Asia has the opportunity to build from scratch, integrating advanced technologies like liquid cooling from the outset.

Also Read: Can alternative proteins help build a more secure and sustainable food system?

This clean-slate approach allows data centres to meet soaring demand without the inefficiencies and environmental costs associated with outdated systems. We’ve seen how incorporating liquid cooling from the ground up enables greater efficiency and scalability for future technologies, giving Southeast Asia a competitive edge in the global digital economy.

Sustainability and smarter management

As Southeast Asia’s tech infrastructure grows, so does its environmental impact. Reducing energy consumption is not only a business imperative but a necessity for governments and companies aiming to meet stringent environmental goals. Liquid cooling plays a pivotal role in addressing these challenges, offering up to 40 per cent energy savings compared to traditional air-cooling systems. These energy reductions help data centres lower both operational costs and their carbon footprint, making them more sustainable.

Incorporating AI-driven management systems into liquid cooling solutions further optimises energy use based on real-time conditions. This smart management enables data centres to adjust cooling dynamically, predict potential failures, and optimise water usage, paving the way for a more efficient, future-proof infrastructure.

The future of data centres in Southeast Asia

The demand for faster, more powerful data processing will only intensify as AI, 5G, and digital services continue to evolve. Southeast Asia’s relatively recent entry into the data centre market presents a unique opportunity: the chance to embrace cutting-edge technologies like liquid cooling without being weighed down by outdated infrastructure.

Liquid cooling is not just a solution for today’s high-performance systems—it is a prerequisite for the future. The energy savings, performance enhancements, and environmental benefits make it the ideal cooling solution for next-generation data centres. Businesses that invest in liquid cooling today will be well-positioned to lead the region’s digital transformation.

The question isn’t whether Southeast Asia is ready for liquid cooling—it’s whether it can afford not to adopt it. In an increasingly data-driven world, the choices made today will define the region’s ability to compete tomorrow. The future belongs to those who embrace the most efficient and sustainable technologies available now.

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In Southeast Asia, the old assumption that companies must choose between profitability and impact no longer holds. The most successful ventures are showing that in emerging markets, commercial growth and social outcomes often reinforce each other.

When eFishery first introduced smart fish feeders in Indonesian ponds, sceptics doubted smallholders would adopt such technology. Yet adoption spread quickly, demonstrating that solutions addressing basic needs can scale commercially while improving livelihoods. This kind of dual outcome, revenue growth alongside measurable community benefit, is becoming one of the region’s defining opportunities.

Across agritech, healthtech, and edutech, founders are proving that purpose fuels profit. Here’s how.

Founder Stories: The Double Bottom Line in Action

Agritech: eFishery’s US$200M Bet on Smallholder Farmers

The problem is clear. Around 40 per cent of aquaculture feed in Southeast Asia is wasted (FAO), keeping farmers in cycles of poverty. Feed can consume up to 60 per cent of a farmer’s income, leaving little margin for resilience.

The solution combines IoT sensors with AI-driven feeding. This reduces feed costs by up to 20 per cent while boosting yields by about 30 per cent.

The results are significant:

• 250,000+ livelihoods improved
• 5M tons of CO₂ avoided through efficient feeding
• A strong signal that investors are backing models that align profitability with farmer well-being

eFishery illustrates how tackling one inefficiency—feed waste—can generate impact at scale: higher incomes for smallholders, reduced environmental pressure, and a stronger supply chain for one of SEA’s core food sources.

Healthtech: Doctor Anywhere’s prescription for equity

Healthcare in SEA has long been defined by gaps: distance to clinics, affordability, and shortages of trained professionals. For rural families, even basic check-ups can mean a day’s travel and high costs.

Doctor Anywhere’s pivot from corporate wellness into rural telehealth during COVID-19 showed how digital tools can bridge these divides. The platform now delivers teleconsultations at around US$5, roughly 40 per cent cheaper than offline visits in parts of Indonesia.

“If you can’t reach a clinic in Borneo, the doctor should come to you. Our tech makes healthcare borderless.” – Lim Wai Mun, Founder of Doctor Anywhere

Its impact is measurable:

• 5M users accessing US$5 teleconsultations
• 40 per cent cheaper than offline visits in Eastern Indonesia
• US$140M Series C at 2.5X valuation jump (2022)

This case highlights a broader principle: the strongest healthtech models don’t just digitise existing systems. They reimagine them for contexts where scarcity, not abundance, is the norm.

Also Read: Driving social impact with tech in Southeast Asia: Building for outcomes, not optics

Why impact measurement wins trust

Investors increasingly expect startups to measure outcomes beyond revenue. It is no longer enough to show financial KPIs; impact dashboards are becoming part of the due diligence process.

Take GrowSari, a B2B platform in the Philippines serving sari-sari stores. By tracking metrics such as income growth (15 per cent for 50,000 stores), GrowSari demonstrated that its platform directly improved livelihoods. This, in turn, helped it secure funding and build credibility with partners.

The lesson is simple: measurable outcomes create trust. Tools like B Corp certification and IRIS+ standards provide shared language for investors and startups to align. Startups that adopt these frameworks early differentiate themselves in an increasingly competitive funding environment.

“Investors used to ask, ‘What’s your EBITDA?’ Now they demand ‘Show us your impact dashboard.’” – Shiyan Koh, Partner at Hustle Fund (early backer of GrowSari)

Investor perspectives: The case for capital

“The best companies solve problems so essential, their business model becomes antifragile.” – Peng T. Ong, Co-Founder of Monk’s Hill Ventures

Why are investors leaning into impact?

• Regulation: Indonesia’s SDG Indonesia One has mobilised over US$3 billion for sustainable development, much of it climate-focused.
• Consumers: Nearly three-quarters of SEA millennials say they prefer ethical brands.
• Performance: Studies show impact startups had a 22 per cent higher survival rate during COVID-19.

The logic is clear: ventures solving essential problems are less vulnerable to downturns. They build resilience because their markets — health, education, food, energy — remain critical regardless of economic cycles.

Also Read: Report: Singaporeans are among the most optimistic about the economic impact of AI

Green shoots: Funding momentum

The data reflects this shift.

Impact startup funding grew from US$150M in 2020 to US$850M in 2024, a 467 per cent increase.

The number of deals nearly quadrupled, showing deepening investor appetite.

These deals span cleantech, agritech, inclusive fintech, and healthtech—indicating broad demand across sectors.

This momentum suggests impact is not a niche play. It is increasingly becoming the mainstream thesis for venture and growth capital in the region.

The road ahead

“Profit is oxygen, but purpose is our heartbeat. Without both, you don’t have a business—you have a spreadsheet.” – Steve Melhuish, PropertyGuru Founder & Impact Investor

The next wave of SEA innovation will be defined by whether startups can align profitability with measurable outcomes. For founders, this means baking impact into KPIs from the start, whether it’s farmer incomes, patient access, or school retention rates. For investors, it means embedding metrics like IRIS+ into due diligence, alongside EBITDA and ARR.

Funding models that value both profit and purpose are no longer fringe experiments. They are setting new benchmarks for what successful businesses look like in Southeast Asia.

The message is clear: in emerging markets, the smartest capital is chasing ventures where impact and profit are the same story.

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For a long time, vision boarding was dismissed as a soft practice — something aesthetic, emotional, and often unserious. Cut out magazine clippings. Pin a dream house. Manifest abundance. Hope the universe listens.

But in recent years, vision boarding has quietly re-emerged — not as a trend, but as a response. A response to speed. A response to overload. A response to a world where execution is no longer the bottleneck — direction is.

Today, many people are moving faster than ever, yet feel more stuck than they did a decade ago. They are productive but uncertain. Busy but misaligned. Surrounded by tools, yet unsure which ones matter. And increasingly, the problem isn’t capability — it’s clarity.

This is where vision boarding, redefined, starts to matter again.

When everything accelerates, thinking becomes fragile

Artificial intelligence has fundamentally changed how fast we can move from idea to action. Writing, designing, analysing, automating — tasks that once took weeks can now happen in hours, sometimes minutes.

Speed, however, has a side effect.

When execution becomes effortless, it exposes a deeper weakness: Many people have never been trained to think clearly about what they are building, why they are building it, and who they are becoming in the process.

Decision fatigue is no longer an abstract concept. It’s daily lifeWhat should I focus on this quarter? What opportunities do I say yes to? Which version of success actually fits my life? Without a strong internal reference point, faster tools don’t free us — they fragment us.

And this is where vision boarding has evolved from a motivational exercise into something far more strategic.

Vision is not about dreams — it’s about direction

The most misunderstood thing about vision boarding is the assumption that it’s about dreaming.

In practice, the most effective form of visioning has very little to do with fantasy. It’s about conceptualisation.

Before anything meaningful is built — a company, a career shift, a body transformation, a creative identity — there is always a quiet phase that comes first. A phase where ideas are held loosely, articulated imperfectly, and refined through reflection.

Thinking. Verbalising. Then acting. This sequence matters.

Many people skip the first two steps because they feel inefficient. They want action. They want momentum. But action without conceptual clarity creates movement without meaning — progress that looks impressive but leads nowhere specific.

Vision boarding, at its core, is simply the discipline of slowing down long enough to decide what kind of life you are actually designing.

Also Read: Founder income: The unspoken truth about wealth, autonomy, and design

From goals to identity: The rise of the “NextSelf”

Traditional goal-setting focuses on outcomes: Revenue targets, follower counts, job titles, and timelines. These can be useful, but they are also fragile. When circumstances change, goals collapse. When motivation dips, goals feel heavy.

A more resilient approach is identity-based visioning.

Instead of asking, “What do I want to achieve?” The better question becomes, “Who am I becoming?”

This idea of a “NextSelf”, a future version of you defined by values, boundaries, rhythms, and priorities, changes how decisions are made in the present.

When visioning is anchored in identity:

• Opportunities are filtered, not chased.
• Trade-offs become clearer.
• Daily actions feel coherent rather than reactive.

The future stops being aspirational and becomes directional.

You don’t act in hopes of becoming someone someday. You act as the person you are designing yourself to be.

Why static vision boards no longer work

The old version of vision boards assumed a stable world. One where you could map a five-year plan and reasonably expect the terrain not to shift dramatically beneath you.

That assumption no longer holds.

Careers pivot faster. Industries mutate. Personal priorities evolve. Many people experience identity drift — achieving externally while feeling internally disconnected from the life they are living.

Static vision boards fail because they freeze desire in time.

Modern visioning needs to be iterative, reflective, and context-aware. It must allow for revision without guilt. It must support multiple time horizons — not just “someday,” but the next three months, the following year, the next decade.

In this sense, vision boarding starts to resemble a mental operating system rather than a collage.

Where AI fits — and where it shouldn’t

AI does not replace vision. If anything, it highlights its absence.

When people lack clarity, AI amplifies confusion. When people have intent, AI becomes a powerful ally.

Used thoughtfully, AI can support visioning by:

• Helping articulate abstract ideas into language.
• Visualising possibilities that are hard to imagine alone.
• Prompting reflection through structured questioning.
• Acting as a guide through the process, rather than a generator of answers.

The most effective framing is not AI as creator, but AI as companion.

Think of it like a guided scrapbook — still personal, still human, but with a gentle structure that helps ideas move from vague to visible, from emotional to executable.

Importantly, the clarity still comes from the individual. AI simply helps surface it.

Also Read: Designing spaces for longevity: How everyday environments shape health in Asia

Manifestation, revisited (without the mysticism)

Manifestation is often misunderstood as passive optimism: Think positively, and good things will happen.

In practice, manifestation has always been practical.

You think deliberately. You verbalise intentionally. You act consistently. Vision boarding formalises this process.

By externalising thought — writing it down, visualising it, speaking it aloud — people reduce internal noise. Decisions become easier because they are measured against something larger than mood or impulse.

This isn’t about controlling outcomes. It’s about aligning behaviour.

When vision is clear, action follows naturally.

Vision as a skill, not a personality trait

One of the most damaging myths is that some people are “visionary” and others are not.

In reality, visioning is a skill — and like any skill, it can be learned, practised, and refined.

Those who appear decisive are often not more confident; they are simply clearer. Those who move fast are often not more capable; they are simply less distracted.

As the world grows noisier, the ability to design one’s future deliberately – rather than inherit it by default – becomes a form of leverage.

Not just for founders or creators, but for anyone navigating modern life.

Designing before doing

The irony of our era is that we have more tools than ever to build anything – yet fewer moments to ask whether we should.

Vision boarding, in its evolved form, is not about predicting the future. It’s about reducing noise in the present.

It creates a pause between stimulus and response. A space where identity leads action, not the other way around.

In a world obsessed with speed, that pause might be the most strategic move of all. Because the future doesn’t belong to those who move fastest.

It belongs to those who know where they are going.

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Editor’s note: e27 aims to foster thought leadership by publishing views from the community. Share your opinion by submitting an article, video, podcast, or infographic.

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