KUALA LUMPUR: Developers of AI chatbots and applications aimed at children will have to build in safety features from the start, including regular risk assessments and filters against harmful content, under the proposed Artificial Intelligence (AI) Governance Bill, says the Digital Ministry.
The ministry said children's safety would be prioritised under the Bill through a risk-based approach.
"For applications or chatbots that target children, developers must apply safety-by-design elements.
"This includes making periodic risk impact assessments mandatory, as well as filtering harmful content to prevent the psychological manipulation of children's minds," it said in a written parliamentary reply to Riduan Rubin (Tenom).
Riduan had asked how the Bill would protect children from the risks of AI chatbots, and whether bot disclosure would be made mandatory to protect minors.
The ministry said disclosure requirements would be imposed in a targeted manner, depending on an application's risk level and the needs of each sector.
AI service providers will eventually have to display clear notices that users are interacting with AI, especially for applications classified as high risk, it added.
It said the details could be set through sector-specific laws or codes of ethics issued by a regulator proposed under the Bill.
The ministry said it had consulted the Women, Family, and Community Development Ministry and Unicef in developing the Bill.
Digital Minister Gobind Singh Deo said last month that the draft Bill had been completed and he hoped to table it in Parliament by the first quarter of next year at the latest.
