Hosted by TECHVIFY | April 10 | The Westin Grande Sukhumvit
Last week, we had the pleasure of gathering with business leaders, including retail, finance, and manufacturing sectors for an exciting, fast-paced session on how AI is transforming industries across Southeast Asia.
The event may have lasted just under three hours, but it was filled with real-world insights, candid conversations, and practical examples of how companies are making AI work — not just in theory, but in measurable, impactful ways.
Here’s a look back at what we explored together.
AI in Retail: Improving the Customer Experience and Operational Efficiency
Speaker: Tony William – VP of Marketing Innovation, The Mall Group
Tony showed us how The Mall Group is using AI to improve both the customer experience and internal operations.
Behind the scenes, teams are using AI bots integrated with Slack to find documents faster and generate creative assets like wireframes. Admin teams are saving time by automating repetitive tasks, giving them more space to focus on strategy.
On the customer side, AI is powering self-service kiosks that speed up checkout. Their M Card app, now used by over six million people, delivers personalized offers and gamified shopping experiences. Shoppers can even use indoor navigation to find products quickly, and recommendation engines are helping boost engagement across channels.
Looking ahead, AI will be extended to tenants, with features like Sephora’s virtual try-on. There are also plans to integrate AI with messaging platforms like LINE and Zalo, making the experience more convenient for tourists. Real-time customer identification is also in development, aiming to deliver truly personalized mall visits.
Of course, challenges remain. Legacy systems, a shortage of in-house AI talent, and pressure to show fast results are all part of the journey. But Tony made it clear: the future of retail is already here , and AI is at the core.
AI in BFSI: Innovating While Staying Compliant
Speaker: Daniel Le – Director, Special Projects DZH International
Daniel shared how financial institutions are using AI to innovate while meeting strict regulatory standards.
For customers, AI is helping with everything from financial planning to personalized investment advice. Generative AI tools are making it easier to deliver tailored insights in real time.
Behind the scenes, AI is strengthening fraud detection and improving compliance workflows like KYC and AML. It’s also helping with risk scoring, document review, and audit transparency, all while using interpretable models that satisfy regulators.
In daily operations, internal AI copilots are handling things like ticketing and workflow management, while AI-powered chatbots are speeding up customer service and reducing resolution times.
Daniel highlighted some impressive results. At DBS Bank, over 13,000 employees have been trained in AI, and more than 350 projects have been launched, saving the bank over SGD 370 million each year. Other banks across Asia, including OCBC and several in Vietnam, are following this path with hundreds of use cases focused on compliance and efficiency.
To make this work, financial institutions are using sandbox environments for sensitive data and synthetic data to train models safely in the cloud. It’s a careful balance between innovation and control, and it’s already paying off.
AI in Manufacturing: Smarter Factories, Better Quality
Speaker: David Ho – Head of Technological Consulting, TECHVIFY
He emphasized five pillars: leadership buy-in, cultural change, scalable infrastructure, quick-win use cases, and governance. His team uses a three-level AI maturity model, ranging from basic productivity tools to fully autonomous agents that make real-time decisions.
David also introduced TECHVIFY’s multi-model AI architecture, capable of selecting the best LLM (OpenAI, Gemini, Claude, etc.) per task. A unified protocol layer ensures seamless integration with ERP, CMS, and legacy systems, while maintaining global compliance (ISO, GDPR, HIPAA).
David’s insights spanned more than manufacturing:
- Retail: AI chatbots on WhatsApp & Facebook, smart checkout UX with voice/image input, and multilingual support for tourism commerce.
- Banking & Finance: AI call centers replacing IVRs, real-time ticketing, and AI-driven customer prioritization, all integrated with backend systems.
- Manufacturing: ERP automation, multi-language document parsing, and computer vision for quality control.
Panel Takeaways: What All Industries Have in Common
Our panel discussion wrapped up the session by highlighting cross-industry lessons for successful AI adoption.
1. Align AI efforts company-wide
Avoid siloed tools. A unified AI strategy ensures better collaboration and results.
2. Define what success looks like
It’s not just about cost savings. Track time saved, employee satisfaction, and user experience improvements.
3. Start small, then expand
Begin with one team or workflow. Measure the impact, gather feedback, and scale from there.
4. Prioritize data security
Use on-prem storage when working with sensitive information. Add observability and guardrails to maintain trust.
5. Understand your AI maturity
- Level 1: Assistants (search, summarize, write)
- Level 2: Copilots (automate workflows)
- Level 3: Agents (reason, act, make decisions)
6. Create an AI-ready culture
Train teams by function. Encourage learning and experimentation with tools like GitHub Copilot , but focus on building understanding, not just automation.
A Human-Centered Experience
What made this event special wasn’t just the content. It was the people.
Attendees had the chance to try live AI demos by scanning a quick QR code. They experienced omnichannel AI agents, smart product recommenders, and virtual AI call center assistants, tools designed to solve real problems right now.
We also opened the floor for one-on-one networking. Guests were invited to meet with Tony, Daniel, or David to talk through their own AI strategies. These personal sessions helped turn ideas into action and made it easy to ask the questions that really matter.
Final Thoughts
This event wasn’t just about technology. It was about transformation – how people, processes, and purpose come together to unlock new opportunities powered by AI.
We’re grateful to everyone who joined us in Bangkok. The conversations were inspiring, the insights were rich, and the energy was electric.
If your business is exploring how to make AI work in a real, practical way, we’d love to continue the conversation. Contact TECHVIFY to day, then we can talk about your problem and solve it perfectly.
