Governance of artificial intelligence in Southeast Asia
| Published date | 01 November 2024 |
| Author | Andrew J. Keith |
| Date | 01 November 2024 |
| DOI | http://doi.org/10.1111/1758-5899.13458 |
Global Policy. 2024;15:937–954.
|
937
wileyonlinelibrary.com/journal/gpol
1 | GLOBAL GOVERNANCE OF
ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE
Contemporary articial intelligence (AI) systems
are characterised primarily by domain- specic ma-
chine learning algorithms and large language models
(Ulnicane etal., 2021). These systems have achieved
high levels of performance in a broad range of tasks
and are widely available (Anthropic, 2024; Vinyals
et al.,2 019). However, global governance for AI sys-
tems is just beginning to emerge. To achieve worldwide
adherence to guidance and norms for the use of AI,
efforts at global governance will need to attract more
widespread participation (Butcher & Beridze, 2019;
Taeihagh, 2021). Clarifying different approaches to
national and global AI governance in Southeast Asia
could improve global governance of AI by making global
governance structures more relevant to key countries
currently outside the global, state- led AI governance
structure.
Southeast Asia is an important reg ion for global gov-
ernance of AI because of the region's economic dyna-
mism, relatively high level of geopolitical tension, and
active regional AI governance through the Association
of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). The ASEAN
Guide on AI Governance and Ethics(2024) establishes
regional AI principles for Southeast Asia and provides
a framework for policymakers. The ASEAN guide
notes that governments and international organisations
have issued similar principles and frameworks but ar-
gues that “there has not yet been an intergovernmen-
tal common standard for AI that denes the principles
of AI governance” (ASEAN, 2024, p.7). Although the
ASEAN guide is regionally focused, it specically iden-
ties the Organization for Economic Cooperation and
Development (OECD) Recommendation of the Council
on AI(2019), United Nations Educational, Scientic and
Cultural Organization (UNESCO) Recommendation on
the Ethics of AI(2022), and European Union (EU) Ethics
Guidelines for Trustworthy AI (2019) as references
RESEARCH ARTICLE
Governance of articial intelligence in Southeast Asia
Andrew J.Keith
Received: 23 Marc h 2024
|
Revised: 29 S eptember 2024
|
Accepted: 3 0 September 2024
DO I: 10 .1111/17 58- 589 9.13 458
Published 2024. Th is article is a U.S. Governm ent work and is in the publi c domain in the USA.
Universiti Bru nei Darussalam, Gado ng,
Brunei
Correspondence
Andrew J. Keith, Uni versiti Brunei
Darussalam, Gadong, Brunei.
Email: keith.andrew.j@gmail.com
Abstract
Governance of articial intelligence (AI) has not achieved global participation.
The primary state- led instrument focusing specically on the global governance
of articial intelligence is the Global Partnership on Articial Intelligence (GPAI).
Although GPAI aims for broad international participation, the only GPAI mem-
ber from Southeast Asia is Singapore. GPAI's imbalanced global participation,
restrictive membership process, and limited translations are potential barriers
to Southeast Asian participation. However, a comparative policy analysis sug-
gests that GPAI members and nonmembers in Southeast Asia have AI govern-
ance policies which are largely compatible, despite key differences. This study
uses quantitative topic- modeling and qualitative content analysis to compare the
AI governance policies of Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, and Vietnam with the
policies of Australia and Singapore, as reference GPAI members. The policies
of GPAI, Australia, and Singapore emphasise the function of ethics while the
policies of Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, and Vietnam emphasise the function
of human capital development. State- led, global AI governance efforts could at-
tract more Southeast Asian participation by further emphasising human capital
development and deemphasising the func tion of ethics. GPAI could increase the
likelihood of Southeast Asian participation by decreasing its emphasis on politi-
cal systems, allowing intergovernmental organisations to join, and recruiting all
G20 members.
938
|
KEITH
which inuenced its development. Additionally, the
guide's objectives include helping organisations “align
their AI practices with international standards and best
practices” and the guide's regional recommendations
include an ASEAN Working Group on AI Governance
which can “lead efforts to further international co-
operation on AI governance approaches, including
through engaging ASEAN's various dialogue partners”
(ASEAN,2024).
This regional emphasis on international cooperation
reinforces national strategies which emphasise inter-
national alignment in Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand,
and Vietnam. The international engagement is also
reected in their approval of the UNESCO recommen-
dations. Despite the regional policy, national policies,
and behaviors supporting international engagement
on AI governance, Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, and
Vietnam have not participated in the primary state- led
governance organisation focusing specically on AI,
the Global Partnership on Articial Intelligence (GPAI).
Better understanding how the AI policies of Indonesia,
Malaysia, Thailand, and Vietnam align or do not align
with the existing state- led global governance structure
illuminates how the global governance structure might
accommodate any differences.
This study's research aim is to critically compare
national and state- led global governance of AI in
Southeast Asia. The primary research question is as
follows: what barriers and policy differences inuence
Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, and Vietnam's partici-
pation in state- led, global governance focusing on AI?
Research sub- questions include:
• What roles, functions, and policy instruments are em-
phasised in GPAI governance policy?
• What roles, functions, and policy instruments are em-
phasised in the AI governance policies of Singapore
and Australia (GPAI members), and of Indonesia,
Malaysia, Thailand, and Vietnam (GPAI nonmembers)?
• How does the approach to AI governance dif-
fer among GPAI, Singapore, Australia, Indonesia,
Malaysia, Thailand, and Vietnam?
This research nds that the primary p olicy difference
is that the policies of GPAI, Australia, and Singapore
emphasise the function of ethics while the policies of
Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, and Vietnam empha-
sise the function of human capital. In addition to policy
differences, GPAI's imbalanced global participation, re-
strictive membership process, and limited translations
are potential barriers to Southeast Asian participation.
To develop policy recommendations addressing
these barriers and policy differences, this article rst
introduces key stakeholders and reviews the global
landscape of AI governance with a focus on Southeast
Asian perspectives. Then, the article identies poten-
tial barriers which might discourage Southeast Asian
countries from joining GPAI. Next, the article intro-
duces the quantitative and qualitative methods for
analyzing the AI governance policies of a subset of
GPAI members and nonmembers. After applying two
complementary methods, the article presents the pol-
icy roles, functions, and instruments that each nation's
policy emphasises and discusses differences and
similarities in the AI governance policies. The ar ticle
concludes with policy rec ommendations to address the
potential barriers and policy differenc es identied in the
discussion.
2 | KEY STAKEHOLDERS
Recent scholarship has identi ed the emerging global
governance structures for AI. Although there are a va-
riety of non- state initiatives and initiatives with a gen-
eral scope, Schmitt's map of th e global AI governance
landscape identies only two state- led instruments
that focus specically on AI: the Global Partnership
on Articial Intelligence and the AI Partnership for
Defense (Schmitt,2022). However, the AI Partnership
for Defense is a “loose group” without public strategy,
Policy Implications
• Glo bal policy on articial intelligence could in-
crease acceptance in Southeast Asia by em-
phasising human capital promotion to align
with priorities in Southeast Asian policies.
• The ethical content of global policy on arti-
cial intelligence is generally aligned with the
ethical content of Southeast Asian policies
on articial intelligence, but the function of
ethics is overemphasised compared to other
regional priorities.
• The Global Partnership on Articial
Intelligence Executive Council could inc rease
the likelihood of Southeast Asian participa-
tion by amending its membership process to
focus on articial intelligence rather than na-
tional political systems.
• The Global Partnership on Articial
Intelligence could increase the likelihood of
Southeast Asian participation by amending
its Terms of Reference to allow for other in-
tergovernmental organisations to join, in ad-
dition to the European Union.
• The Global Partnership on Articial
Intelligence could improve the regional bal-
ance of its membership by recruiting the
ve G20 members who are not currently
participants.
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