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BY ZAFIRAH ZAFRUDDIN
MALAYSIA is setting the tone for AI governance and ethics in Southeast Asia with its landmark event, the ASEAN AI Malaysia Summit 2025( AAIMS25). A first in the ASEAN bloc, the summit took place from Aug 12-13 at the Malaysia International Trade and Exhibition Centre( MITEC).
Malaysian Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim called the summit a“ generational opportunity,” a pivotal moment for Malaysia’ s future as an AI Nation.
He emphasised the region’ s unique position to shape AI:“ With over 700 million citizens, a rapidly growing digital economy and an extraordinary diversity of cultures and languages, our region is uniquely placed to shape AI in ways that are inclusive, ethical and true to our shared values.”
Malaysia’ s Minister of Digital Gobind Singh Deo described AAIMS as:“ A summit that unites visionaries, leaders, and practitioners from across ASEAN with a shared purpose: to shape a future where AI empowers our people, strengthens our societies, and reflects our regional values.”
Themed‘ Driving Sustainable & Inclusive AI Development in ASEAN,’ the summit focused on three objectives: harmonising cross-border regulations, fostering AI innovation ecosystems, and boosting youth and startup engagement through initiatives such as the Youth Caucus and AI Code Fest.
The event featured over 100 speakers and included a range of programmes, including Ministerial Roundtables, panel discussions, and dialogue-driven forums. There were also interactive showcases such as the ASEAN AI Trade Show and the Malaysia AI Super Booth.
AI WITHOUT BORDERS
“ The Ministry of Digital Malaysia’ s mission is to turn Malaysia’ s AI vision into tangible, inclusive outcomes, announced Gobind.
“ We are committed to ensuring that AI delivers real benefits for all Malaysians; from urban centres to rural communities, from industry to the underserved.”
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Anwar Ibrahim
The Ministry of Digital Malaysia’ s mission is to turn Malaysia’ s AI vision into tangible, inclusive outcomes, announced Gobind.
MEET TERRI: Malaysia’ s YTL AI Labs introduces Terri, a humanoid robot that showcases local innovation with a regional impact.
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The Ministry is taking a multi-pronged approach to level the AI playing field:
■ AI Literacy Programmes: Enabling communities to shape AI’ s future through free AI literacy programmes nationwide, spanning all ages.
■ Local Innovation Ecosystems: Investing in homegrown AI solutions that reflect Malaysia’ s languages and culture to address specific regional challenges in agriculture, health, education, and other areas.
■ National Compute Capacity: Expanding high-performance computing and AI infrastructure. Compute access will be accessible for startups, SMEs, universities, and independent researchers.
■ Affordability: Ensuring AI-powered tools and services are affordable and accessible to all.
According to Gobind, access to AI in the
“ agentic age of AI” is a matter of power and influence, not just equity.“ It is about giving everyone a real say in how these systems work and how they affect daily life.
“ If only a select few can access and shape these systems, then only a select few will influence the decisions they make.”
A highlight of the summit was the introduction of YTL
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AI Labs’ humanoid robot, Terri. Developed in Malaysia, Terri demonstrates that worldclass innovation can be built locally and shared with its regional partners, thus helping to close the AI divide.
REGIONAL TRUST
Anwar shared his vision for ASEAN’ s AI trajectory, stating:“ Our vision must be to harness AI not simply to catch up with the rest of the world, but to lead it, offering a model of innovation grounded in trust, rooted in equity and proudly shaped by Southeast Asian values.”
In the agentic age of AI, leadership is directly proportional to trust. But trust, stressed Gobind, must be deliberately designed, rigorously tested against threats, and consistently safeguarded against misuse.
Malaysia is embedding this principle into its digital transformation through a national ecosystem of safeguards:
■ The Digital Trust and Data Security Strategy( 2026-2030): Provides a longterm plan designed to strengthen cyber defences, safeguard data, and build public trust.
■ Data Commission: Ensures robust data governance and ethical AI principles.
“ This national agenda is not pursued in isolation. Our efforts to build trust through the forthcoming Digital Trust and Data Security Strategy and the establishment of the Data Commission are deliberately designed to complement and strengthen ASEAN’ s collective frameworks,” said Gobind.
He further noted that interoperability will be essential to turning that vision into reality. By aligning Malaysia’ s AI standards with ASEAN initiatives, the country is fostering cross-border trust and cooperation.
These regional initiatives include the ASEAN Guide on AI Governance and Ethics, the ASEAN AI Safety Network, and the ASEAN Cybersecurity Cooperation Strategy 2026-2030.
“ The future of AI in ASEAN will not be written by any one country alone. It will be shaped by how well we coordinate, align, and build trust together,” asserted Gobind. @ ND
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