Malaysia plans Asean-focused AI trust framework

The Star

14-05-2025

Digital Minister Gobind Singh Deo.
PETALING JAYA: Malaysia is developing a national artificial intelligence (AI) trust framework tailored to its societal needs, with plans to eventually expand the initiative across the Asean region, says Digital Minister Gobind Singh Deo.
He said the National AI Office has been tasked with looking into the framework and that work is currently in progress, involving engagements with industry, academia, civil society, as well as various ministries and agencies.
'Eventually, the framework must grow broader than this. Hence, we are also looking at how we can engage our regional partners and how we can build this kind of ecosystem.
'We are hosting the Asean AI Summit in August. During the summit, we propose to raise these issues and talk about how we can develop a framework that will be able to assist Asean to build an AI safety ecosystem moving forward,' he told the media on the sidelines of PwC Malaysia's AI Leadership Conference 2025.
'Now, the question is how can the country craft its own policy, and then escalate it to the Asean level to see whether we can find a mechanism by which all of us can work together. At the end of the day, there are concerns about how we can ensure that systems are safe and trusted.
'This is something that not only needs to be discussed at the national level, but also beyond that. This is what we hope to achieve moving towards the event in August.'
Gobind said Malaysia calls for stronger Asean collaboration to develop common principles and interoperable frameworks for trusted AI and ethical data governance.
'In a region as dynamic and diverse as ours, alignment is not just strategic; it is essential. We believe Malaysia can serve as a testbed for innovation, a regional convener, and a trusted partner in co-developing the governance models that will shape the digital future of South-East Asia,' he said.
The minister added that prosperity now hinges on how effectively nations convert raw data into trusted, actionable intelligence – from predictive healthcare and personalised education to automated logistics and intelligent agriculture.
'Trust is what gives data its mobility – and mobility gives data its value. Around the world, nations are embedding trust into the architecture of their digital economies.
Gobind said Malaysia is in the early stages of charting its own path, carefully reviewing global models while developing a framework rooted in national values, socio-economic context and regional priorities.
'Our aim is (to create) a distinctly Malaysian trust framework – grounded in public legitimacy, adaptable in regulation, and interoperable across borders.'