# Agnes AI: Southeast Asia's Answer to ChatGPT (And 20x Cheaper)

Page: https://stenobird.com/podcast/tech-lead-journal-633005/agnes-ai-southeast-asia-s-answer-to-chatgpt-and-20x-cheaper
Text version: https://stenobird.com/podcast/tech-lead-journal-633005/agnes-ai-southeast-asia-s-answer-to-chatgpt-and-20x-cheaper.md
Podcast: [Tech Lead Journal](https://stenobird.com/podcast/tech-lead-journal-633005)
Published: 2026-02-02T12:00:00+00:00
Episode link: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/techleadjournal/episodes/Agnes-AI-Southeast-Asias-Answer-to-ChatGPT-And-20x-Cheaper-e3eef09
Audio file: https://anchor.fm/s/265d7c64/podcast/play/114817481/https%3A%2F%2Fd3ctxlq1ktw2nl.cloudfront.net%2Fstaging%2F2026-0-31%2F417186354-44100-2-8f1fb96dbcb15.mp3
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JSON: https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/tech-lead-journal-633005/episodes/agnes-ai-southeast-asia-s-answer-to-chatgpt-and-20x-cheaper
Duration seconds: 3933

## Resource

(05:13) Brought to you by Sweep AI Sweep is the fastest coding assistant for JetBrains. It lets you write code 10x faster. Finally, AI that works in JetBrains. Download for free at ⁠sweep.dev⁠ . What if Southeast Asia had its own ChatGPT that cost 20x less? Bruce Yang built Agnes AI to solve what global companies ignore: accessible AI for emerging markets. In this episode, Bruce Yang, CEO and founder of Agnes AI, explains how he’s built Southeast Asia’s fastest-growing AI platform with 4 million registered users and 300K daily active users. After working at Microsoft and LinkedIn in Silicon Valley, Bruce returned to Singapore and started his PhD at NUS right before COVID, positioning him perfectly to ride the AI wave. Agnes AI uses smaller, specialized models trained on Southeast Asian languages and local user data to deliver productivity features like deep research, PowerPoint generation, and AI-powered group chats at 1/20th the cost of major competitors. We discuss the challenges of building AI for emerging markets, the importance of keeping humans in the loop for critical thinking, and why Bruce believes the future of AI belongs to applications, not just models. Key topics discussed: Making AI 20x cheaper than ChatGPT Why Southeast Asia needs its own AI models Using multi-agent systems to reduce hallucinations AI group chats and social features Critical thinking in an AI-assisted world Why Agnes avoids the AI coding space AI bubble debate: hype vs. real value Getting emerging markets to adopt AI Subscription vs. pay-per-use business models Timestamps: (00:00:00) Trailer & Intro (00:02:49) Why Did Bruce Start a PhD During COVID to Build an AI Company? (00:06:16) Why Build Another AI Model When Thousands Already Exist? (00:09:48) How Is Agnes AI Cheaper and Faster…

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