Southeast Asian countries are developing governance and ethics guidelines around artificial intelligence (AI) that impose “guardrails” on the burgeoning technology, five officials with direct knowledge of the matter told Reuters.
Regulators around the world are rushing to draft regulations to govern the use of generative AI, which can create text and images. Generative AI has sparked both excitement and anxiety about its potential to reshape a wide range of industries.
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Ministers of the 10-nation Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) agreed in February on the need to develop an ASEAN “AI guide” for the region of 668 million people, but discussions among policymakers in the region details have not been previously reported.
Southeast Asian officials said a so-called ASEAN Guide to AI Governance and Ethics is taking shape and will aim to balance the technology’s economic benefits with its many risks.
“The draft is in progress and could be completed near the end of the year before being approved by ASEAN member states,” an official told Reuters.
Another official said it could be announced at the ASEAN digital ministers’ meeting early next year.
A spokesperson for Singapore’s Ministry of Communications and Information said that as the 2024 presidency of the conference, the country will work with other ASEAN countries to develop a “practical and actionable step on AI governance and ethics.” We will develop an ASEAN guide,” he said. Supporting the responsible deployment of innovative AI technologies in ASEAN. ”
Other ASEAN countries are Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam. The governments could not be reached for comment at this time.
The sources declined to comment further on what the AI guide might look like given the early stages of discussions and the sensitivity of the ASEAN process.
The sources, including officials from three Southeast Asian countries, declined to be named because they were not authorized to speak to the media.
ASEAN’s move to set guidelines on AI comes as the European Union and the United States are expected to release draft voluntary AI codes of conduct in the coming weeks. The Code will come into force ahead of the EU’s pioneering AI law, which is still in obscurity.
Regional policymakers, as well as those in Europe and the United States, have expressed particular concern about the potential of AI to industrialize misinformation.
In a June research paper, Singapore’s Information and Communication Media Development Authority warned of the risk of “hallucinations” when generative AI generates dubious content with convincing certainty.
Three sources say the island city-state is at the forefront of the region’s AI strategy and is leading talks to create an AI guide.
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