AI is fast becoming the darling of customer experience strategies, but the numbers don’t quite add up.
Verizon’s latest report exposes a sobering truth: while executives hail AI as a CX game-changer, most of their optimism rests on gut feel, not hard data. Seventy-two percent claim improved customer experience and 66 percent cite better loyalty, yet few can tie these gains to robust, measurable metrics.
This blind spot matters. AI’s efficiency wins–slashing content creation timelines or cutting call handle times–are tangible. But those are productivity boosts, not proof of deeper customer satisfaction or long-term loyalty.
Businesses risk confusing speed with substance. If the industry continues down this path, “AI ROI” will remain a boardroom buzzword, not a balance sheet reality.
The real challenge is measurement. Legacy CX metrics were never designed to capture the nuanced, distributed impact of generative AI across operations. That’s why a third of firms are already working on entirely new frameworks. Until those arrive, talk of ROI will be more hope than evidence.
AI in CX may be inevitable, but its value must be proven, not presumed. Without rigorous metrics, enterprises risk over-investing in tools that look transformative, but can’t yet prove they move the needle where it counts.
REGIONAL
TikTok says Tokopedia layoffs due to team size, business needs
The layoffs reportedly affected 420 employees in two rounds: 180 in July 2025, and 240 a month later | Tokopedia is an Indonesia-based e-commerce platform now controlled by TikTok after a merger.
Atome achieves FY profitability with US$236M operating income
Operating income rose 63% year-on-year, with GMV reaching over US$2B, up 50% from 2023 | As of Q2 2025, Atome Financial said its annualized net revenue surpassed US$500M, with annualised GMV crossing US$4B.
Vietnam’s business capital opens central hub for startups
Innovation Startup Center, a 17,000-square-meter facility in Xuan Hoa Ward, operates under a public-private partnership model, offering one-stop services for startups and serving as a hub for resources and policy testing.
Ytl, Sea officially debut Malaysia’s AI-powered digital bank
Ryt Bank uses an AI assistant, Ryt AI, built on a local language model called ILMU, to help users manage transactions, pay bills, and access financial information in natural language | Core services include savings accounts with daily interest and instant credit via Ryt PayLater.
Indonesian EV logistics provider Blitz raises pre-Series A
Investors include Vynn Capital, Iterative Capital, Vinner Ventures, ADB Ventures, and Peak XV | Blitz, a platform focused on last-mile delivery using a fleet of EVs, claims over 14M deliveries and operations in 60 cities.
Cashku closes US$2.4M round as digital financial planning heats up in Malaysia
Investors include Tunku Zain Al-‘Abidin Tuanku Muhriz, former Securities Commission Chairman Datuk Ali Abdul Kadir, and 1337 Ventures | Cashku will use the capital to enhance its technology, scale its outreach, and continue to develop its platform.
Earth VC backs nuclear innovator Aalo Atomics to address SEA’s data centre power crunch
The funding will be used to construct Aalo’s inaugural nuclear power plant, the Aalo-X, at the Idaho National Laboratory in the US | With criticality targeted for next summer, this project will become the first advanced nuclear facility to commence operations in the US in decades.
Thunes co-founder returns as CEO
Peter De Caluwe takes over from Floris de Kort, who previously led the firm | De Caluwe had served as deputy chairman at Thunes for the past 18 months | Thunes provides payment infrastructure enabling international transfers across bank accounts, mobile wallets, cards, and digital assets.
REPORTS, FEATURES & INTERVIEWS
Verizon study warns: AI in CX needs new metrics to justify spend
As spending on AI in CX operations is expected to grow, management will increasingly demand concrete evidence of its financial returns |
As spending on AI in CX operations is expected to grow, management will increasingly demand concrete evidence of its financial returns.
Asia’s new AI wave: Startups driving smarter healthcare, safer roads, better living
Meet the Asian startups harnessing AI to transform healthcare, mobility, security, and customer experiences, delivering innovation that directly improves everyday life.
“Don’t build for Demo Day”: Zhang Fan on the enduring truths of entrepreneurship in the AI era
In his view, Southeast Asian founders aren’t chasing applause; They’re building purposeful solutions, often with sharp market understanding and a clear focus.
INTERNATIONAL
Hong Kong overtakes US as top IPO venue for Chinese firms
So far this year, 46 Chinese firms have raised a combined US$16.5B in Hong Kong | In comparison, 16 Chinese companies listed in the US raised about US$740.9M | The city’s exchange has benefited from regulatory changes that speed up listings for large mainland companies and stronger investor sentiment.
Oyo to file IPO papers in November, eyes US$8B valuation
SoftBank, one of Oyo’s largest shareholders, has held discussions with banks including Axis, Citi, Goldman Sachs, ICICI, JM Financial, and Jefferies to gauge market sentiment | The filing is expected to highlight Oyo’s latest Q1 financial results.
Musk’s xAI sues Apple, OpenAI over AI competition
xAI accuses Apple and OpenAI of working together to limit competition in the AI sector | The complaint claims that Apple’s partnership with OpenAI, which will bring ChatGPT to Apple devices, is aimed at protecting Apple’s position in the smartphone market.
Tesla rejected US$60M offer before losing US$242.5M Autopilot verdict
The verdict was delivered over a 2019 fatal crash involving Tesla’s Autopilot system | The case concerned a Tesla Model S that went through an intersection with Autopilot engaged, striking a Chevrolet Tahoe, killing Neima Benavides Leon and severely injuring Dillon Angulo.
EV battery market grows with new types, options
Startups globally are developing new battery technologies such as sodium-ion and lithium-sulfur to lower costs and reduce dependency on key minerals for EVs | China currently accounts for 85% of global battery cell production and 90% of processing for the main lithium-ion types used in EVs.
US reportedly may sanction EU over Digital Services Act
The potential move follows US complaints that the law censors Americans and increases costs for US tech firms | Senior State Department officials have not yet decided whether to impose the measures, which could include visa restrictions.
South Korea develops AI tool to detect varroa mites in beehives.
BeeSion uses AI to analyse hive frame videos, and can reportedly identify varroa mites in real time, reducing inspection time to about 30 seconds per frame, with an accuracy rate of 97.8%.
SEMICONDUCTOR
US 10% stake in Intel could impact business, funding
The US will acquire Intel shares using US$5.7B in unpaid grants under the CHIPS Act and US$3.2B from the Secure Enclave programme | It could create risks for its business, including potential impacts on overseas sales and future government funding.
Nvidia set to report Q2 earnings as AI boom drives growth
The company’s revenue has more than tripled and profits have quadrupled since late 2022, as demand for AI chips surged after the launch of OpenAI’s ChatGPT | Nvidia’s market cap recently crossed US$4T, and its stock has risen 12x since 2022, closing at US$177.99 on August 22, 2025.
Nvidia launches Jetson AGX Thor robotics chip at US$3,499
The Jetson AGX Thor chip, based on Nvidia’s Blackwell graphics processor, will begin shipping next month, and is designed for companies building robots | Nvidia said the Jetson AGX Thor is 7.5X faster than its previous generation and comes with 128GB of memory to support large AI models.
US chipmaker Skyworks appoints ex-AMD exec as CFO
Philip Carter is leaving Advanced Micro Devices, where he was corporate vice president and chief accounting officer since November 2024 | Carter previously worked at Skyworks from 2017 to 2024 as vice president and corporate controller.
AI
How should non-tech companies approach AI?
When employees, stakeholders, or customers are not ready for AI implementation, workflows often get disrupted in a negative way | To overcome this, companies need to think about their change management strategies in advance and ensure that everyone is on the same page regarding AI implementation.
The AI classroom dilemma: Are we raising students who can’t think without machines?
The qualities that define humanity–creativity, moral reasoning, critical judgment, and navigating ambiguity–require the cognitive abilities that AI dependency weakens | Without deliberate effort to preserve human intelligence, we’ll create a generation dependent on machines in an era demanding independent thought.
From hype to harmony: Why agentic AI needs a platform-first mind-set to redefine CX
Automation excels at speed and pattern recognition; humans excel at judgment, negotiation and relationship‑building | The goal is augmentation, not substitution | A global med‑tech firm recently introduced an agentic‑AI layer that triages tickets and surfaces knowledge‑base articles.
AI in legal tech: Keeping it customer-centric
AI tools are streamlining contract lifecycle management (CLM) by automating aspects of contract drafting, review, negotiation, and risk analysis | AI is revolutionising e-discovery by quickly analysing high volumes of digital data to identify relevant evidence, reducing the time, cost, and risk of discovery in litigation.
AI and healthcare: Navigating challenges and embracing the future
In healthcare, accuracy and patient safety aren’t just ideals; they’re non-negotiable | Mistakes in a chatbot recommending dinner are harmless; errors in a clinical setting can be catastrophic | Before healthcare AI can be trusted, it must undergo rigorous testing and adhere to the highest safety standards.
AI: The secret ingredient for unlocking developer success in Asia
Home to the fastest-growing developer community globally, APAC is also the second-largest adopter of GenAI | The region’s potential is unquestionable, and local organisations are well-positioned to drive real AI innovation and all its benefits.
THOUGHT LEADERSHIP
Beyond Silicon Valley dreams: Why SEA is rewriting the rules of tech for good?
SAE’s approach represents a paradigm shift that challenges every assumption about how innovation works | Here, tech isn’t a luxury; it’s a necessity | This is how a region once considered a tech follower is becoming the world’s lab for tech that actually matters.
Powell’s pivot: How Jackson Hole reshaped markets and what comes next
Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell’s carefully calibrated remarks last Friday did far more than hint at potential policy shifts; they effectively slammed the door on prolonged restrictive monetary policy while opening a wide window for immediate easing.
Why impact-first marketing matters more than ever for Asia startups
But in markets where trust in new technology can be low, digital literacy uneven, and access to infrastructure inconsistent, having a brilliant product is not enough | Without marketing that connects with people’s real needs, habits, and contexts, adoption stalls.
Rethinking business information Access: The role of conversational AI
Acting as digital copilots, conversational AI enables professionals to query complex datasets using natural language and get verified, contextual responses in seconds | There’s no longer a need to comb through spreadsheets or lengthy documents; insights are now delivered as if in a conversation with a trusted advisor.
From Bangkok to billions: Inside OpenAI’s startup growth playbook
Marc Manara, head of startups at OpenAI, pulled back the curtain on how the company works with founders worldwide, and why its platform is becoming a launchpad for the next generation of market leaders.
How Southeast Asia’s agritech startups are turning smallholder farms into high-tech powerhouses
Agritech is transforming the landscape by integrating emerging technologies such as IoT, AI, blockchain, and mobile fintech | These innovations address inefficiencies in input management, pest detection, supply chain transparency, and farmer financing.
From reactive to proactive: Closing Indonesia’s care gaps with digital health
Indonesia has the rails and the legal backbone | The next two years should be about disciplined execution against measurable outcomes | If Indonesia proves that scale, equity, and privacy can coexist in digital health, it will close its own care gaps.
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