From robotic intelligence and intelligent automation to natural language processing, artificial intelligence (AI) is increasingly embedded into all manner of devices, services, and platforms. The accelerated integration of AI into every facet of society has created a palpable sense of urgency to regulate AI, with intensified national, regional, and multilateral initiatives to develop regulatory frameworks around it.
There is an urgency for businesses to understand how ready they truly are to grow and evolve thanks to AI – in terms of efficiency and productivity gains, as well as of cultivating sustainable and stakeholder-driven growth. There is also an urgency for governments to not just understand how they can leverage AI to make their programs and services more impactful, but to also create enabling conditions for AI to be developed ethically and deployed responsibly.
For regulators and policymakers, the urgency lies in the fact that AI is already transforming many aspects of our lives, and we have yet to fully grasp the extent of that transformation given the possibility of unforeseen applications and interactions with society. As European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen’s recently warned, there is “a rapidly narrowing window to guide [AI] responsibly”.
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Access Partnership has been working with an international development agency on a research project examining the way 11 Southeast Asian (SEA) countries can harness the increasingly disruptive nature of AI in a responsible, ethical, accountable, and trustworthy manner.
The first stage of the research project comprises two elements:
- First, a landscape overview examining the trends, drivers, barriers, challenges, and opportunities that are emerging as responsible AI takes shape within and across SEA economies. It does so by examining the unique dynamics that are shaping AI ecosystems in the region, as well as by identifying the key actors that are driving these dynamics.
- Second, a benchmarking framework to help SEA governments identify the key elements that they need to put in place to foster conducive and enabling environments for responsible AI to be at the top of the regional digitalisation agenda – all while taking national needs, priorities, and capabilities into account.
Together, these two elements set the foundations for a region-wide AI Roadmap that defines goals, objectives, milestones, and success metrics that can be adapted to each SEA economy’s needs, priorities, and capabilities towards responsible AI. Once published, this Roadmap will provide actionable steps for SEA policymakers and stakeholders to leverage responsible AI in a meaningful, impactful, and sustainable manner.
This Research Brief (draft 2.0) contains our preliminary findings from the landscape overview and the benchmarking framework as of September 2023. The full findings will be shared publicly as a Research Brief (draft 3.0) towards the end of 2023, and the subsequent Roadmap is set to be finalised in early 2024.
Download the Research Brief (draft 2.0) here:
