Conversational AI: Insights from 10th Conversational Tech Summit Asia 2025

Table of Index:

• Human-Centered AI: Themes from the Panel on Conversational Strategies in Asia

• Key themes that resonated during the panel included

• From Engagement to Conversion: How Koltiva Applies AI in Marketing

• Rethinking Brand Strategy for the AI Era

• Insights for Emerging Market Innovators

  • 1. AI Chatbots for Farmer Training & Advisory

  • 2. AI in Agri-Financing: Machine Learning for Credit Scoring

  • 3. Real-Time Weather Forecasting for Decision Support

• Final Thoughts: Designing AI with Intention

As digital transformation accelerates across Asia, Conversational AI is rapidly evolving from a support tool into a core component of customer experience (CX), brand communication, and marketing strategy. At the recently held Conversational Tech Summit Asia 2025 in Jakarta, key insights emerged around how businesses in the region are leveraging conversational technologies to build trust, drive personalization, and enhance operational efficiency in increasingly complex markets.

Bringing together thought leaders from telecommunications, retail, banking, agriculture, and technology, the summit provided a platform for cross-sector dialogue on the real-world application of AI-driven engagement in culturally diverse and rapidly digitizing environments.

Human-Centered AI: Themes from the Panel on Conversational Strategies in Asia

One of the most anticipated sessions of the summit was the panel discussion on "Conversational AI Strategies in Asia," featuring voices from PT Agrinesia Raya, Koltiva, KADIN, PT Ecocare Indo Pasifik Tbk, and Telesign. The conversation offered a multidimensional view into how organizations across industries are operationalizing AI-enabled customer communication while balancing ethics, scale, and cultural sensitivity.

Key themes that resonated during the panel included:

• Ethical AI Governance: Companies emphasized the importance of aligning AI development with transparent data policies, user privacy protections, and long-term brand integrity.

• Cultural and Linguistic Intelligence: With Asia’s diverse linguistic landscape, building multilingual and culturally adapted AI systems was highlighted as essential for maintaining relevance and building customer trust.

• Omnichannel CX Design: Speakers stressed the need to create conversational journeys that seamlessly integrate across chat, voice, and social platforms to support unified brand storytelling and service delivery.

• Marketing-CX Alignment: Several insights focused on how marketing and customer service functions are converging through AI, requiring shared KPIs, integrated tech stacks, and collaborative teams.

• Balancing Automation and Empathy: As AI takes on more front-line interaction roles, the challenge lies in embedding emotional intelligence to ensure humanized experiences that reflect brand values and customer needs.

These themes reflect a broader regional shift toward customer-centric digital transformation, with Conversational AI acting not just as a tool—but as a strategic differentiator in building brand loyalty and long-term customer relationships.

From Engagement to Conversion: How Koltiva Applies Conversational AI in Marketing

A notable case study presented at the summit came from Koltiva, a tech-enabled agritech company operating across emerging markets. Koltiva shared how they’re using AI-powered chatbots not only to enhance customer service but also to drive measurable outcomes in marketing and lead generation.

Key takeaways from Koltiva’s chatbot-driven marketing strategy:

• Inbound Lead Engagement: By deploying intelligent chatbots, it helps reduced response time to inquiries—turning passive interest into active engagement. The bots qualify leads in real-time, improving conversion rates from initial contact to Marketing Qualified Leads (MQLs).

• Audience Segmentation: Through conversational flows, the bots collect data that allows for dynamic segmentation based on user intent, behavior, and demographics. This ensures sales teams are targeting the most relevant leads.

• Automated Lead Nurturing: AI systems guide users through tailored content journeys—offering product recommendations, follow-ups, and educational material to keep prospects engaged and moving through the funnel.

This approach highlights how Conversational AI enhances performance marketing, bridging the gap between human interaction and automated precision. It also underscores how AI can strengthen brand storytelling by providing relevant, timely, and personalized interactions.

Rethinking Brand Strategy for the AI Era

A recurring insight across sessions was the imperative to integrate Conversational AI into broader brand strategy frameworks. With digital interactions becoming the default mode of customer engagement, brands must rethink how they build emotional connections, maintain consistency, and deliver on their value propositions.

Speakers emphasized:

• Embedding AI into Brand Architecture: Companies must define the role of AI within their brand DNA—from tone of voice to service philosophy—ensuring interactions reflect the company’s identity.

• Cross-Functional Collaboration: Successful implementation demands alignment between marketing, technology, and CX teams, breaking down silos and enabling agile experimentation.

• Measuring What Matters: Beyond response rates and automation efficiency, companies are starting to track AI’s impact on customer lifetime value (CLV), brand sentiment, and experience quality.

Insights for Emerging Market Innovators

For companies in emerging markets, the application of Conversational AI carries additional significance. These regions often feature high mobile penetration, low-cost digital adoption, and complex stakeholder ecosystems—from rural farmers to multinational buyers.

As Koltiva illustrated, AI can play a transformative role in:

• Delivering inclusive digital services

• Training and educating fragmented user bases

• Scaling personalized communication without sacrificing brand authenticity

  
  

Koltiva, an integrated technology company working with smallholder producers across Indonesia and beyond, has been investing heavily in the development of AI-powered solutions tailored to the aquaculture and fisheries industry. These tools are not only transforming how rural producers access knowledge but are also laying the groundwork for a more intelligent, data-driven agricultural ecosystem.

1. AI Chatbots for Farmer Training & Advisory

Koltiva is currently piloting a Conversational AI solution designed for aquaculture and fisheries, enabling farmers to interact with a smart chatbot that responds in their local languages. This AI assistant answers questions about pests, weather conditions, planting schedules, and best farming practices—essentially serving as a virtual agronomist available 24/7.

Backed by real-world insights from Koltiva’s expert agronomists, the chatbot delivers curated content based on Good Agricultural Practices (GAP). This initiative illustrates how emotional intelligence, when integrated into generative AI, can support farmers with tailored guidance while respecting local culture and knowledge levels.

2. AI in Agri-Financing: Machine Learning for Credit Scoring

Beyond advisory services, Koltiva is also using AI for automated credit risk assessments. By analyzing variables like harvest volume, historical yield, and farm activity, machine learning algorithms help create credit profiles for smallholder farmers—making it easier for microfinance institutions to offer input financing with confidence.

This approach not only boosts financial inclusion but also sets a foundation for more data-driven lending models that prioritize transparency and credibility—critical for underserved agricultural communities.

3. Real-Time Weather Forecasting for Decision Support

Another critical area is weather intelligence. Koltiva’s systems provide real-time, localized weather updates, helping aquaculture producers manage risks. For example, if storms are forecasted, farmers can adjust pond activities such as feeding schedules or drainage procedures. This is where Conversational AI integrates predictive analytics, offering proactive guidance at the intersection of climate resilience and operational management.

These are critical advantages in markets where corporate responsibility, sustainability narratives, and trust-based engagement are becoming central to competitive positioning.

Final Thoughts: Designing AI with Intention

The Conversational Tech Summit Asia 2025 revealed a powerful truth: Technology alone does not create exceptional customer experiences—human insight does.

Whether through brand-aligned chatbots, multilingual customer support, or ethical data use, organizations must ensure that AI amplifies—not replaces—the values and empathy that define meaningful customer relationships.

For brand strategists, public relations professionals, CX leaders, and digital marketers, the summit served as a timely reminder: The future of customer engagement in Asia will be shaped not just by innovation, but by intentional design, inclusive practices, and the courage to lead with empathy.

Event Details: https://conversationaltechsummitasia.com/indonesia-edition/