Move over, SaaS; SaS is here

Welcome to Tech in Asia’s Sunday newsletter, your weekend brief on the biggest moves in Asia’s tech and startup world. Not on the mailing list? Register here. Got a story tip? Send it to editors@techinasia.com.

In focus

• Terence Lee on how SaS will trump SaaS
• A hidden force hindering India’s startup ecosystem
• Will AI create a K-shaped economy?

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Hello reader,

Many founders of AI startups that I speak to worry about their kids’ job prospects.

Even if they get jobs, the workplace will probably be unrecognizable – to us, at least. A survey conducted among 11- to 17-year-olds found that many of them believe they will have AI co-workers, VR offices, and no need for email.

“AI colleagues? Drag me to hell instead,” a colleague quipped when this study was shared on our Slack channel.

“Sure, but I’ll help them put a knife in email,” another said. That’s ironic, considering you’re likely reading this via email.

AI is set to change the software world, too. Kevin Brockland, a venture capitalist, argues in this premium piece that software-as-a-service (SaaS) will make way for service-as-software (SaS).

That’s another way of saying: Yep, AI colleagues are going to be real.

As someone who builds AI workflows, I know that the rise of SaS brings discomfort.

For instance, a lot of the menial work involved in setting up this newsletter for publication is now automated with the help of AI.

Sometimes, the workflow introduces small mistakes into the formatting for no reason at all. But as software users, we expect it to function deterministically.

But that’s not how large language models work. LLMs are probabilistic: Sometimes, they’ll slip up even if nothing in the code and the environment changes.

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Editor’s picks

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Short cuts

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One visual story you shouldn’t miss

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Quote of the week