At the APEC CEO Summit 2025 in Gyeongju, South Korea, Meta and the Linux Foundation unveiled a joint report titled The Value of Open Source AI for APEC Economies. The study shows that adopting open and collaborative artificial intelligence (AI) could generate trillions of dollars in productivity gains for economies across the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) region by 2038.
Unlocking growth through open collaboration
The report aligns with this year’s APEC theme, “Building a Sustainable Tomorrow: Connect, Innovate, Prosper,” and emphasises how open source AI can support sustainable digital development. It highlights that APEC economies have a strong opportunity to lead in building transparent, inclusive, and locally relevant AI ecosystems that benefit individuals, businesses, and governments alike.
According to the study, open source AI adoption could increase productivity in APEC economies by up to US$3.8 trillion through 2038. Leaders from business, academia, and government expect open AI models to drive growth across multiple industries, from manufacturing through robotics and predictive maintenance to agriculture through precision farming and better resource efficiency.
Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) are leading this transformation. The report notes that SMEs are adopting open source AI faster than larger corporations, which helps make advanced technology more accessible. By leveraging open tools and models, smaller companies can improve operations, raise service standards, and innovate in emerging areas such as shared digital infrastructure. This accessibility enables businesses without large budgets to compete and grow effectively.
Emerging economies driving digital progress
The study also highlights the potential for emerging markets such as Indonesia and Vietnam to advance rapidly through open source AI. The accessibility, transparency, and lower costs of open systems reduce barriers to adoption, helping close the digital divide. With digitally native populations that are eager to embrace AI, these economies are well positioned to benefit from inclusive innovation.
In the Asia-Pacific region, several economies already demonstrate strong performance in AI development. South Korea leads the world in AI patents per capita, followed by Japan in fifth, Singapore in seventh, and Australia in fourteenth place.
“Open source AI is accelerating innovation across every APEC economy,” said Hilary Carter, Senior Vice President of Research at the Linux Foundation. “By opening access to advanced models and tools, open source AI empowers businesses, educators, and public agencies to innovate faster and more responsibly. This collaborative approach enables APEC economies of all sizes to deepen their competitive advantage—helping advanced economies stay at the forefront of global AI leadership, while supporting emerging economies to leapfrog in digital development and capture new opportunities for local growth.”
Real-world applications across APEC
The study highlights several examples of how organisations are already applying open source AI to achieve social and economic benefits. In Singapore, AiSee, a local accessibility startup, uses open source AI to help visually impaired individuals navigate their surroundings more confidently. In Japan, the Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology (JAMSTEC) employs open AI models to accelerate scientific research and environmental monitoring. In South Korea, AIM Intelligence is improving AI safety and cultural awareness by fine-tuning Llama models with Korean-language data to ensure ethical and context-sensitive AI systems.
Simon Milner, Vice President of Public Policy for Asia-Pacific at Meta, emphasised the human focus behind Meta’s AI strategy. “People are at the heart of Meta’s approach to building AI models and products. We want to ensure that the AI we build is useful, relevant, and inclusive for everyone,” he said. “Through this research, the Linux team, working with APEC regional experts, have improved our understanding of how open source AI can help address local challenges and unlock new opportunities for innovation. Working together, governments and industry can build open, trusted AI ecosystems—investing in local talent, digital infrastructure, and shared learning across APEC. Connecting ideas across borders and fostering collaboration will ensure that AI drives prosperity and progress that truly reflects the diversity of APEC economies and benefits everyone.”
