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Sea, OpenAI launch Codex hackathon series in Singapore
Sea and OpenAI will hold a Codex hackathon in Singapore on 6 June, launching a regional Asia Pacific series for developers, students, startups, and other builders to test AI coding tools.
Sea is a Singapore-based internet company that owns Shopee and other ecommerce and digital businesses.
The companies said the Singapore event is expected to draw more than 150 participants working on over 40 projects using OpenAI’s Codex.
The series will later expand to Indonesia, Taiwan, and Vietnam.
Winning teams in Singapore can receive up to US$30,000 in OpenAI API credits plus ChatGPT Pro subscriptions.
🔗 Source: Sea
🧠 Food for thought
Implications, context, and why it matters.
Sea’s hackathon builds on a multi-year partnership with OpenAI
- The event grows out of a wider partnership on AI for online shopping, payments, and product distribution that started with a formal agreement 1.
- By February 2025, Shopee was working with OpenAI as a launch partner for Operator in Southeast Asia and Brazil. Operator is an AI agent that can act on the internet, including shopping on ecommerce platforms such as Shopee 2.
- The tie-up also reached shoppers. Shopee offered three months of free ChatGPT Plus to VIP members in several Southeast Asian markets 1.
Sea is using AI to build an edge that goes past efficiency
- Sea has already gained from AI. Shopee lifted purchase conversion by 14% and lowered customer service cost per contact by about 30% 3.
- The hackathon theme, “Autonomous & Adaptive AI,” suggests Sea wants teams to build AI-native products and apps, not only internal tools 4.
- This approach could shift ecommerce rivalry toward smarter shopping agents and seller software, while adding pressure on rivals to respond 3.
Recent Sea developments
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