Pushing for Asean AI safety amid global turmoil

RIO DE JANEIRO: Malaysia is championing the establishment of an Asean AI Safety Network, a regional initiative aimed at streng­thening governance and capa­city in this domain, says Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.

The Prime Minister, as the current Asean chair, stated that Malaysia welcomed BRICS’ efforts in AI Governance.

“We support a vision of artificial intelligence that serves ­deve­lopment, not domination – one that embeds ethics, reduces inequality and respects human dignity,” he said at the BRICS Leaders’ Summit at the Museum of Modern Art here on Sunday.

Also in attendance were Invest­ment, Trade and Industry Minis­ter Datuk Seri Tengku Zafrul Abdul Aziz and Transport Minis­ter Anthony Loke.

Earlier, the Prime Minister was received by Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva upon arrival.

Anwar noted the summit was held as the international order faced severe strain.

The institutions meant to uphold cooperation were “falte­ring under the weight of new realities”, he added.

“Trade is increasingly shaped by politics. Technology is framed by security. And the rules that once governed global engagement are being selectively applied or ignored,” he said.

Malaysia’s position is straightforward: multilateralism is vital for global stability, shared prosperity and sovereign dignity, he said.

The Prime Minister said that for multilateralism to endure, it must do more than express common values.

“It must deliver tangible outcomes. It must respond to the realities of a world where markets are fragmenting faster than rules can adapt.”

Anwar stated that Asean was not passive and that economic fragmentation was intensifying - tariffs, decoupling and shifting alliances were reshaping trade flows once thought stable.

Malaysia, he said, was advan­cing a strategy that favoured diversification over dependency, resilience over fragility and regional agency over external prescription.

“We therefore welcome BRICS’ commitment to an inclusive, rules-based trading system.

“Malaysia’s 2025 Asean ­Chair­­manship theme of “Inclu­sivity and Sustainability” aligns closely with those priorities,” he added.

Anwar said the party which shaped the digital future was the question now, with technology now splitting along geopolitical lines.

“Export controls, national security restrictions and diverging standards are creating parallel systems,” he added.

Anwar also called for an end to the genocide in Gaza and atro­cities in Iran.