Southeast Asia’s Tech Drive: Data, AI, and Autonomy
VIEW EVENT DETAILSSoutheast Asia is clearly on the radar of the new Australian Government, and there is palpable enthusiasm for the transformative potential of data and artificial intelligence (AI) across the region. This is evident in government and ASEAN policies, the tech industry’s investments, and in the region’s rapidly growing e-commerce market.
But what is the utility and the end goal of data-driven optimization and Southeast Asia’s broader digital transformation? What are the notions underpinning buzzwords like “inclusive digital economy” or “ethical AI?” Are there uniquely Southeast Asian perspectives that these countries can bring to the table in international discussions on technological rule-setting?
Join Asia Society Australia and the ANU College of Asia and the Pacific for this conversation as we launch the report “Raising Standards: Data and Artificial Intelligence in Southeast Asia” with Elina Noor, Director of Political-Security Affairs and Deputy Director, Washington, D.C. Office at the Asia Society Policy Institute, Mark Bryan Manantan, Senior Fellow for Cybersecurity and Critical Technology, Pacific Forum, Johanna Weaver, Director, Tech Policy Design Centre, Australian National University, Sarah Logan, Research Fellow at the Coral Bell School of Asia Pacific Affairs, and Will Bateman, Associate Professor at the ANU College of Law.
This Asia Society Policy Institute project maps the aspirations of five Southeast Asian countries – Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, and Viet Nam – exploring the objectives of a data-driven environment in Southeast Asia. It shows that Southeast Asia has the opportunity to redefine inclusive development for the region by raising standards for data and AI through multi-stakeholder approaches and alternative viewpoints. Conversely, the region runs the risk of ceding decision-making to outsiders and locking in structures that are ill-suited for the region’s long-term digital future.
Attendees are invited to join the panellists for refreshments and discussion at the conclusion of the event.
Date: Wednesday 27 July 2022
Time: 2 – 4 p.m. AEST
Location: Molonglo Theatre at the Crawford School of Public Policy, Australia National University, Canberra
Registration link: https://invtdu.to/_od94m
Please note this event is open to the public. Registration is essential. For any enquiries, please contact [email protected]
Presented in partnership with the ANU College of Asia and the Pacific
Speakers
Elina Noor, Director, Political-Security Affairs and Deputy Director, Washington, D.C., Asia Society Policy Institute
Elina Noor is Director, Political-Security Affairs and Deputy Director, Washington, D.C. Office at the Asia Society Policy Institute. A native of Malaysia, Elina’s work focuses on security developments in Southeast Asia, global governance and technology, and preventing/countering violent extremism.
Previously, Elina was Associate Professor at the Daniel K. Inouye Asia-Pacific Center for Security Studies. Prior to that, she was Director, Foreign Policy and Security Studies at the Institute of Strategic and International Studies Malaysia. She was also formerly with the Brookings Institution’s Project on U.S. Relations with the Islamic World. Between 2017 and 2019, Elina was a member of the Global Commission on the Stability of Cyberspace. She currently serves on the ICRC’s Global Advisory Board on digital threats during conflict.
Elina read law at Oxford University. She obtained an LL.M (Public International Law) from The London School of Economics and Political Science, University of London, graduating with distinction at the top of her class. A recipient of the Perdana (Malaysian Prime Minister’s) Fellowship, she also holds an MA in Security Studies from Georgetown University where she was a Women in International Security Scholar.
Mark Bryan Manantan, resident Vasey Fellow, Pacific Forum
Mark Bryan Manantan is the resident Vasey Fellow at Pacific Forum, Hawaii and an AI Research and Policy consultant at the Asia Society Policy Institute in Washington D.C. Concurrently he is also a research fellow at the AI Asia Pacific Institute in Singapore and a non-resident fellow at the Center for Southeast Asian Studies at the National Chengchi University in Taiwan. Prior to that, he also held visiting fellowships at the Center for Rule-Making Strategies, Tama University; the Japan Foundation in Tokyo, Japan, and the East-West Center in Washington D.C.
His current research examines the nexus of cybersecurity, artificial intelligence, and critical technologies in the Indo-Pacific. Mr. Manantan’s research and policy-relevant work has been published by the Australian Journal of International Affairs, the Cyber Defense Review, Asian Politics and Policy, Issues and Studies, the East Asia Forum, the Diplomat, the Asia Pacific Bulletin, and the Philippine Star. He obtained his Bachelor of Arts (magna cum laude) in Broadcast Communication under the Presidential Scholarship at the University of the Philippines. A recipient of the Australia Awards Scholarship, he also holds a Master of International Relations (Advanced) with Honours from the Australian National University.
Johanna Weaver, Director, Tech Policy Design Centre, Australian National University
Associate Professor Johanna Weaver is Director of the Tech Policy Design Centre at the Australian National University. The Design Centre is reimagining how to use governance as a tool to shape technology to maximise its positive impacts. In partnership with industry, government, civil society and academia, the Centre’s mission is to co-design a new generation of best practice governance frameworks that are fit for purpose in our digital age.
Ms Weaver is a former Australian diplomat, a reformed commercial litigator and an unapologetic international law nerd. In June 2021, she completed her term as Australia’s independent expert and lead cyber negotiator at the United Nations. Earlier, Ms Weaver led the Cyber Affairs Branch at the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, working closely with Australia’s inaugural Ambassador for Cyber Affairs.
Ms Weaver is a member of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) Global Advisory Board on digital threats during conflict. She is also a regular guest lecturer at the Australian National Security College.
Dr Sarah Logan, Research Fellow, Coral Bell School of Asia Pacific Affairs, ANU College of Asia & the Pacific
Sarah is a Research Fellow/Lecturer in the Department of International Relations. Her primary research focus is the impact of technology, especially the internet, on International Relations. She is interested in how technology interacts with traditional understandings of statehood, power and agency. Sarah’s previous research project concerned the history of counter extremism policy in the US and the UK.
Prior to joining the Department in 2019, Sarah was a postdoctoral research fellow in the Faculty of Law at the University of New South Wales. She was awarded a PhD in International Relations from the Australian National University in 2014. Prior to joining academia, Sarah worked in government.
Associate Professor Will Bateman, ANU College of Law (Moderator)
Dr Bateman leads multi-jurisdictional projects on the legal regulation of public and private finance, with a special focus on central banking, sovereign debt markets, digital currencies and sustainable investing. His recent engagements with central banks and financial regulators include: UK Parliament, House of Lords Inquiry into Quantitative Easing, expert evidence provided, recommendations adopted in final report (2021) Reserve Bank of New York, 'Legal Aspects of Central Bank Money Creation' (2020) Bank of England, 'Quantitative Easing, Reserve Creation and Digital Currency' (2020).
Dr Bateman also leads research projects on the regulation of artificial intelligence in collaboration with computer science experts and public/private sector organisations. Select law/tech partners include: Minderoo Foundation (global philanthropic organisation), Gradient Institute (ethical AI research institute), and Humanising Machine Intelligence (ANU multi-disciplinary research project).