16-6-2023 (SINGAPORE) Singapore and other member countries of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) are working on the development of governance and ethics guidelines for artificial intelligence (AI), according to officials familiar with the matter. These guidelines aim to establish “guardrails” for the rapidly growing AI technology and address concerns about its impact on various industries.
Regulators worldwide are in a race to create regulations governing generative AI, which has the ability to generate text and images. While it holds great promise, there are also concerns about its potential risks and implications.
In February, ASEAN ministers recognized the need to create an “AI guide” for the region’s population of 668 million people. Although details of the discussions among regional policymakers were previously undisclosed, senior officials from Southeast Asian countries have confirmed that the ASEAN Guide on AI Governance and Ethics is in progress. The objective is to strike a balance between the economic benefits of AI and the associated risks.
One official revealed that the drafting process is ongoing and could be completed by the end of this year, following which it would be endorsed by ASEAN members. Another official mentioned that the announcement could be made at the ASEAN Digital Ministers’ Meeting in early 2024.
The Singapore Ministry for Communications and Information, as the chair of the 2024 meeting, stated its collaboration with other ASEAN states in the development of an “ASEAN Guide on AI Governance and Ethics.” This guide aims to provide practical and implementable steps to ensure responsible and innovative AI deployment across ASEAN.
The ASEAN member countries include Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam. Representatives from these governments were not immediately available for comment.
The officials declined to provide further details on the specific content of the AI guide due to the early stage of discussions and the confidentiality of the ASEAN process. However, it is expected to align with the growing global trend of formulating guidelines and codes of conduct for AI technology.
Concerns about the potential industrialization of misinformation through AI have been raised by regional policymakers, mirroring similar concerns expressed by the European Union and the United States. Singapore’s Infocomm Media Development Authority highlighted the risk of “hallucinations” caused by generative AI in a research paper published in June. The paper warned about the production of deceptive content that appears convincingly real.
As a leading country in AI strategy within the region, Singapore is spearheading the efforts to develop the AI guide, according to multiple sources familiar with the matter.
