BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN: Minister of Transport and Infocommunications Datuk Seri Setia Shamhary Mustapha said that artificial intelligence (AI) can play an important role in shaping Asean’s future and highlighted its transformative potential in driving innovation and economic growth during the 20th Asean Ministerial Meeting on Science, Technology and Innovation (AMMSTI-20) on Friday (June 7) in Siem Reap, Cambodia.
The delegation, led by the minister also participated in the 85th ASEAN Committee on Science, Technology, and Innovation (COSTI-85) and other related meetings on June 4-6.
This year, the AMMSTI-20 was chaired by Cambodia’s Minister of Industry, Science, Technology and Innovation (MISTI) Hem Vanndy.
The endorsement of the report from the COSTI-85 were among the matters discussed during the meeting.
The report outlined several outcomes achieved, including the implementation status of 2024 Priority Economic Deliverable (PED) and Annual Priority Projects (Annual Priorities – AP) under the Science, Technology and Innovation (STI) sector, namely: (PED) Establish an ASEAN Online Education Platform for Industry 4.0; (AP) Establishing the Asean Technology Management Hub (Phase III); (AP) Developing the Asean Regional Research Infrastructure Strategy (Phase II); (AP) Developing the Asean Regional Research Infrastructure Strategy (Phase II); (AP) Establishing the Asean Startup Initiative; (AP) Establishing the Asean Talent Mobility Community; and (AP) Implementing the Asean Energy Resilience Assessment Guideline: Capacity Building on Energy Resilience Assessment.
Also discussed in the report were the commencement of work in preparing the Asean Science, Technology and Innovation Action Plan (APASTI) 2026-2035, expected to be reported during AMMSTI-21; endorsement of a Priority Economic Deliverable (PED) for 2025 under the STI sector, entitled Establishing ASEAN Technology Startup Ignite; the launch of the Asean COSTI Tracks on AI (ACT on AI) 2024-2025 during the opening ceremony of the AMMSTI-20, namely five AI-related projects supported by dialogue partners to further strengthen Asean as a competitive player in the global AI landscape; and the AMMSTI-21 hosted by Indonesia and tentatively scheduled for June 2025.
The meeting also exchanged views on ‘AI Applications: Navigating the Future’ and endorsed the ‘AMMSTI Statement on AI’, which emphasised the fostering of cooperation in AI.
The AMMSTI Statement on AI highlighted the importance of investing in its infrastructure to support the advancement and deployment of responsible AI applications and services throughout Asean.
The statement underscored the need for robust data governance frameworks to safeguard data privacy, security, and integrity while promoting data sharing and innovation within AI applications, crucial to ensuring that AI technologies contribute to the inclusive and sustainable development of the region.
During the exchange of views session, the minister also shared insights on the development of AI in the Sultanate where it has been used in the health sector to analyse large amounts of health-related data, assisting the Ministry of Health in modelling overall population health utilised for informed policy decisions and ensure cost effective spending.
In his remarks, the minister emphasised the importance of AI governance that strikes a balance between innovation and responsible AI use ensuring that AI systems are developed and deployed in a way that aligns with societal values, benefiting society while minimising potential risks and negative impacts.
In this respect, the Sultanate supports and fully endorses the principles laid out in the “Asean Guide on AI Governance and Ethics” adopted during the 4th Asean Digital Ministers’ Meeting in February this year.
“Using the Asean document as reference, we are working towards setting up our own national guidelines and working on developing a border AI Strategy Framework that will structure existing programmes and develop new initiatives to support AI development.
"This would include supporting regulations, enabling infrastructure, research and innovation, as well as workforce development and overall awareness,” added the minister.
The AMMSTI-20 was preceded by the COSTI-85 and other related meetings, in Siem Reap, Cambodia.
Permanent Secretary at the Ministry of Transport and Infocommunications (MTIC) Mohammad Nazri Mohammad Yusof, serving as the Chair of Brunei Darussalam for Asean COSTI, also attended the meeting.
The COSTI-85 and other related meetings this year were chaired by Cambodia’s MISTI Deputy Secretary of State Dr Hul Seingheng. - Borneo Bulletin/ANN
