Southeast Asia Gazes Towards AI Freedom: Southeast Asian governments are very open to doing business with other countries. This is in contrast to the European Union, which is always trying to get rules on artificial intelligence (AI) to be the same worldwide. A secret draft of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) guidance on AI ethics and government.
This secret paper is being secretly sent to tech giants to get their thoughts. It should be finished by the end of January 2024 at the ASEAN Digital Ministers Meeting. Well-known companies like Meta, IBM, and Google are among the lucky ones to get this law precursor.
The ASEAN advice tells companies to consider how different member countries’ cultures may be. This is very different from the EU’s strict AI Act. Interestingly, it doesn’t set fixed risk categories; strict EU rules don’t limit this freedom. This voluntary guide is used to help make local rules and is similar to how ASEAN policies are implemented.
Southeast Asia has a lot of different rules that cover a wide range of topics, from censorship to hate speech. There are also close to 700 million people living there. Strange rules in the area make things harder like criticizing Thailand’s government is illegal. Tech experts say that ASEAN’s “let-it-be” strategy is a strategic asset because it makes compliance easier and creates an environment good for new ideas.
Stephen Braim, vice president of government relations for IBM Asia, says that the manual is in line with other important AI frameworks. He uses the NIST AI Risk Management Framework as an example. The fact that Meta and Google didn’t seem to respond to channel questions makes the story even more enjoyable.
The advice is smart because it calls for regular reviews and begs governments to make it easy to get money for AI research and development. It also sets up a working group of ASEAN digital ministers to discuss how to use AI. This shows that the region is serious about using AI to its fullest potential to boost economic growth.
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Senior government officials from ASEAN countries are optimistic about the future of AI in the region. They say that the EU’s rush to regulate AI doesn’t take into account how its possible pros and cons might interact with each other. While the handbook encourages governance training and an AI risk assessment structure, it doesn’t say much about the details. This shows how difficult it is to balance innovation and regulation.
The document speaks of the risks of misusing AI, such as spreading false information, deep fakes, and pretending to be someone else. It acts as a “guardrails” to make AI safer. It lets each country decide how to deal with these risks in a smart way.
Japan and South Korea are also not very strict when it comes to AI regulation, which casts questions on the EU’s plan to set a global standard for AI governance. Brussels is worried about the fast growth of AI and what it means for security and human rights. They have taken a strict regulatory approach that ASEAN refuses to accept.
Even though ASEAN doesn’t have the power to make laws, it strongly supports member states in making their own policy choices, which is very different from the EU’s goal of creating a single set of rules for AI. In stark contrast to its success in creating data security rules that major economies around the world looked to as a model, the EU has had a hard time getting everyone to agree on how to regulate AI.
In reaction to this disagreement, EU officials stress that they are committed to continuing talks with Southeast Asian countries in the hopes of reaching a consensus on broad ideas. Since getting past cultural differences is still hard, Alexandra van Huffelen, the Dutch minister for digitalization, stresses how important it is to agree on basic human rights principles for smart AI use.
Our Reader’s Queries
What is the Asean guide on AI?
Unlike the EU’s AI Act, the ASEAN “AI guide” takes a more culturally sensitive approach and avoids dictating unacceptable risk categories. The current version reviewed emphasizes the voluntary nature of the policy, which is intended to provide guidance for domestic regulations. This approach allows companies to consider the unique cultural differences of each country, making it easier to navigate the complex landscape of AI regulation in the ASEAN region.
How big is the AI market in Southeast Asia?
The Artificial Intelligence market is set to soar, with a projected market size of US$10.05bn by 2024. This growth is expected to continue at an annual rate of 17.83% until 2030, resulting in a market volume of US$26.89bn. With such impressive figures, it’s clear that AI is set to revolutionize the way we live and work.
Why Southeast Asia is a rare reason for optimism?
Despite the global economy’s prolonged period of weak growth and high inflation, Southeast Asia stands out as a beacon of hope. With its robust fundamentals, accelerating growth, and promising future, the region offers a rare reason for optimism.
What does China think about AI?
China has taken a significant step towards regulating artificial intelligence (AI) by introducing some of the world’s first binding national regulations over the past two years. These regulations are aimed at controlling recommendation algorithms for content dissemination, synthetically generated images and videos, and generative AI systems such as OpenAI’s ChatGPT. By doing so, China is setting an example for other countries to follow in terms of regulating AI and ensuring its responsible use.