Why iFLYTEK Believes ASEAN is the Next Frontier for AI: Fred Wang's Vision at Techsauce Global Summit 2025

As Generative AI becomes the cornerstone of technological transformation, one of the most anticipated sessions at Techsauce Global Summit 2025 was the platform given to iFLYTEK. The long-established Chinese technology company took the stage to unveil its vision for “Generative AI from China to Southeast Asia.”

Fred Wang, General Manager for Southeast Asia at iFLYTEK, led the session, sharing tangible concepts, strategies, and AI solutions ready for real-world business applications.

Hearing from iFLYTEK: From a Pioneer in China to a Regional Changemaker

While the name iFLYTEK might not be widely familiar in Thailand, the company is a trailblazer in China's AI technology sector. It specializes in Speech Recognition and Natural Language Processing (NLP), with its technologies extensively used across government, healthcare, education, and mass media.

Fred shared that the company currently has over 100 partners worldwide and has launched more than 100 different AI solutions, and its Open Platform is home to a community of over 510,000 developers as of 2025.

A Golden Opportunity for AI That Speaks Local Languages in Southeast Asia

Fred believes that “Southeast Asia is ready” for AI, but he also notes that the region has its own unique set of needs, such as:

• A population speaking diverse languages.
• A mobile-first user base.
• An accelerated push for digital transformation in government and public services.

However, a critical gap remains in infrastructure and localization. Fred pointed out that for AI to be truly beneficial, it must be practical, especially in a context where each country has its own unique languages and operational systems. This is why iFLYTEK is focused on creating Large Language Models (LLMs) that are multilingual, handle both speech and text, and can be fine-tuned with an organization's own data.

One of iFLYTEK's key offerings is the “AI in a box” concept—a comprehensive, all-in-one solution that organizations can install in their own data centers. This allows them to instantly create a localized LLM tailored to their specific language and organizational needs, without relying on public clouds or foreign data centers. This solution also includes:

• An in-house AI training system.
• Tools for Fine-Tuning and Knowledge Distillation
• A Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG) system.
• An AI-powered PowerPoint generation module.
• An “AI Persona” for chatbots, enabling them with simulated emotional responses
• Advanced Automatic Speech Recognition (ASR) and a Multilingual LLM for translation.

Noteworthy Solutions from the iFLYTEK Booth

• AI Persona & Chatbot Engine: A chatbot that understands human emotions to create remarkably lifelike interactions.
• AI PowerPoint & Meeting Minutes Generator: Reduces the time traditional organizations spend on creating reports.
• Virtual Digital Human: A digital persona capable of speaking multiple languages, suitable for both public and private sector applications.
• Multilingual Transcription/Translation: A system that provides real-time audio transcription and instant translation.

Will GenAI from China Become the Standard for the World ?

This session was about more than just technology. Fred Wang stressed that building partnerships is more critical than simply launching a platform. In the context of Southeast Asia, the growth of GenAI cannot be sustained by impressive models or advanced technology alone. It demands an ecosystem that truly understands the languages, cultures, and limitations inherent to each country.

The presence of iFLYTEK in Southeast Asia, therefore, is not merely about market expansion. It represents a collaborative effort to build a new future for AI—one that speaks our languages, understands our cultures, and genuinely addresses our needs.

Because when GenAI is no longer confined to English or limited to Silicon Valley, but begins to speak our languages fluently... that could be the start of a major transformation that all of Southeast Asia should not overlook.

Information from Techsauce Global Summit 2025.