Raising Standards: Data and Artificial Intelligence in Southeast Asia

This publication is the culmination of a year-long research project on two major, interlinked pieces of the technological puzzle — data and artificial intelligence (AI) — in five Southeast Asian countries: Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, and Viet Nam. Of importance was the extent to which data has contributed to inclusive development and ethics relating to AI in all five countries.

At the outset, the project sought to answer three primary questions related to data and AI:

• What are the policy frameworks in place for the use and regulation of data in the five countries of focus? What do they mean for the development and adoption of AI technologies?
• What has been the impact of data on the governance and economies of the five countries? What has been the impact of AI adoption on economic growth and societal changes there?
• What challenges and opportunities exist for the five countries to contribute more actively — even proactively — to international standard-setting, rule-making, and norms-development forums on data and ethical AI?