On 16 January 2026, the ASEAN Digital Ministers adopted the Hanoi Digital Declaration at the 6th ASEAN Digital Ministers’ Meeting in Ha Noi, Viet Nam. The Declaration applies to ASEAN Member States and sets out their commitment to deepening regional cooperation on artificial intelligence (AI). It recognises AI as foundational digital infrastructure and calls for policy harmonisation and collective safety efforts to be advanced under the leadership of the ASEAN Working Group on AI Governance. It also supports cooperation through ASEAN mechanisms, such as the ASEAN AI Safety Network, in order to address the opportunities and risks that arise from AI. These commitments include sharing best practices on AI infrastructure development, exploring real-life AI applications and use cases, and establishing regulatory sandboxes to address regional challenges. These AI provisions are part of the broader digital integration agenda set out in the ASEAN Digital Masterplan for 2026–2030.
On 26 October 2025, the Member States of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) adopted the Declaration on the Establishment of an ASEAN AI Safety Network (ASEAN AI Safe). The Declaration established ASEAN AI Safe as a voluntary and non-binding regional mechanism within ASEAN structures. ASEAN AI Safe is tasked with coordinating regional work on AI safety through information exchange, capacity development, and collaboration among governments, civil society, academia, industry, dialogue partners, and other stakeholders. ASEAN AI Safe is required to align with the ASEAN Digital Senior Officials’ Meeting and the ASEAN Working Group on AI Governance to ensure consistency with existing governance responsibilities. Ministers were tasked to determine its operational design, organisational arrangements, and funding options. Malaysia was tasked to coordinate progress reporting and preparation of a proposal for consideration at the ASEAN Digital Ministers’ Meeting.
On 24 October 2025, the ASEAN Economic Community (AEC) Council announced the substantial conclusion of negotiations on a Digital Economic Framework Agreement (DEFA). The ASEAN DEFA is intended to facilitate cross-border digital trade by enabling digital payments, cross-border data transfers, and ensuring data privacy. The DEFA also aligns with the UNCITRAL Model Law on Electronic Transferable Records. DEFA also covers emerging areas such as talent mobility cooperation, cooperation on emerging technologies such as AI, competition policy, online safety, and source code. The ASEAN Economic Community Council tasked the Negotiation Council with working towards a full conclusion and signing by 2026.
On 5 March 2025, the ASEAN Roadmap on Responsible AI 2025-2030 was adopted. The roadmap aims to guide ASEAN policymakers and stakeholders in fostering an environment conducive to the responsible development and deployment of AI within the member states by 2030. It offers tailored, actionable steps to create enabling conditions for responsible AI, considering each member state's unique needs and capabilities. The Roadmap complements existing AI governance efforts, such as the ASEAN Guide on AI Governance and Ethics, and aims to align national AI initiatives with broader regional digitalisation goals. The roadmap includes priorities including enhancing public-sector AI capacities, strengthening the regional AI ecosystem through partnerships, advancing digital infrastructure, promoting inclusive community engagement, developing secure data-sharing platforms, and fostering multi-stakeholder dialogue on AI governance.
On 26 February 2025, the Defence Ministers of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) adopted the joint statement on cooperation in the field of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in the defence sector. The statement affirms commitment to responsible and accountable AI use while ensuring human control over the use of force in line with international law. The statement emphasises enhancing ASEAN defence establishments’ technological capabilities and fostering capacity-building through knowledge-sharing, training, and joint research. It also calls for integrating AI discussions into ASEAN’s cybersecurity and defence cooperation frameworks, including the ASEAN Cyber Defence Network to address risks and maximise AI’s benefits.
On 17 January 2025, during the 5th Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), the Digital Ministers adopted the Expanded Guide on Artificial Intelligence (AI) Governance and Ethics. This guide builds on the 2024 ASEAN Guide on AI Governance and Ethics by addressing additional challenges and opportunities presented by generative AI. It also provides policy recommendations across ecosystem dimensions, including trusted development and deployment, incident reporting, and content provenance. The guide provides four use cases covering companies in ASEAN countries to demonstrate how its policy recommendations could be adopted.
Last updated: 16/01/2026