PUTRAJAYA: The Secretariat of the Asean Artificial Intelligence (AI) Safety Network will be based in Kuala Lumpur, reaffirming Malaysia’s commitment to supporting the region's digital priorities and building trusted regional digital governance.
Digital Minister Gobind Singh Deo said the Asean Digital Ministers had endorsed the Declaration on the Establishment of the Asean AI Safety Network, as adopted by Asean Heads of Government at the 47th Asean Leaders’ Summit in Kuala Lumpur in 2025.
"This is a significant milestone that reflects Asean’s commitment to advancing AI in a safe, trusted and responsible manner.
"The Asean AI Safety Network will serve as a regional platform to strengthen cooperation on capacity building, regulatory preparedness and safeguard measures, ensuring that innovation in AI continues to advance while risks and misuse are effectively addressed,” he said in a statement on Saturday (Jan 17).
The statement was issued in conjunction with the 6th Asean Digital Ministers’ Meeting (ADGMIN) and related meetings, themed "Adaptive Asean: From Connectivity to Connected Intelligence", held in Hanoi, Vietnam, from Jan 12-16.
On ADGMIN, Gobind said the meeting welcomed the adoption of the Asean Digital Masterplan 2026-2030 (ADM 2030) as a key pillar of Asean’s regional digital integration, guided by the vision of building an inclusive, trustworthy and innovative digital community.
"ADM 2030 will guide the updating of national digital strategies across Asean Member States, ensuring stronger regional coordination and impactful implementation,” he said.
He added that the meeting also welcomed the adoption of the Asean Guide for Sustainable Data Centre Development, initiated by Malaysia.
"This guide reflects Asean’s commitment to ensuring that digital infrastructure growth is aligned with sustainability goals. It provides policymakers with essential tools and insights to build a data centre industry that drives economic growth while prioritising environmental sustainability.
"This will support the development of data centres that are efficient, resilient and environmentally responsible, as Asean continues to strengthen the foundation of its digital economy,” he said.
Meanwhile, Gobind said he met with the Secretary-General of Asean, Dr Kao Kim Hourn, in Hanoi, and they both reaffirmed Malaysia’s strong commitment to Asean’s digital future.
"We also reemphasised the importance of accelerating the Asean Digital Economy Framework Agreement (Defa) as a key driver of Asean’s future economic growth,” he said.
Gobind added that Defa holds strong economic potential for the region by enabling greater cross-border digital trade, strengthening interoperability and improving market access.
"Most importantly, Defa can help unlock new growth opportunities for micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) by lowering barriers to participation in the regional digital economy, expanding customer reach, and creating a more seamless environment for Asean businesses to innovate and scale,” he said.
Gobind said Malaysia remains committed to working closely with Asean Member States to build a secure, sustainable and inclusive digital future.
"One that creates tangible opportunities for all segments of society and strengthens Asean’s competitiveness in the global digital economy,” he said. - Bernama
