Beyond the Buzz: Inclusive Data and Ethical AI in Southeast Asia
VIEW EVENT DETAILSThere is palpable enthusiasm for the transformative potential of data and artificial intelligence (AI) in Southeast Asia. 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?
This Asia Society Policy Institute (ASPI) 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. We show 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.
Join us for this conversation as we launch our report, “Raising Standards: Data and Artificial Intelligence in Southeast Asia.” Report author ASPI Director of Political-Security Affairs Elina Noor will be joined by Amazon Web Services Head of Digital Policy, Asia Pacific and Japan Annabel Lee, UNESCO Programme Specialist Undral Ganbaatar, Pacific Forum Senior Fellow for Cybersecurity and Critical Technology Mark Bryan Manantan, and Khazanah Research Institute Senior Research Associate Tan Jun-E.
SPEAKERS
Undral Ganbaatar is presently head of Social and Human Sciences programming at UNESCO Jakarta office for Brunei Darussalam, Indonesia, the Philippines, Malaysia and Timor Leste. She started her career in UNESCO in 2019 and was previously appointed to the Bangkok office, where she designed and delivered programs on youth development and capacity-building and the promotion and implementation of ethical norms of artificial intelligence. Prior to joining the United Nations system, Undral worked for the government of Mongolia, serving in the Cabinet Secretariat, Prime Minister’s Unit. Undral holds a Master's degree in Public Policy from the University of Oxford where she was a Chevening and Weidenfeld-Hoffmann Scholar.
Annabel Lee leads Amazon Web Services’ (AWS) public policy work on Digital issues for APJ. She has deep subject matter expertise on digital policy issues, including data protection, privacy, cybersecurity and emerging technology, from both the industry and government perspectives. Prior to joining AWS, Lee was Senior Manager, APAC Policy at BSA | The Software Alliance, where she advocated on behalf of the software industry in the Asia-Pacific region on a range of regulatory and legislative issues including privacy, cybersecurity, and copyright. Lee was also Policy and International Manager in the Personal Data Protection Commission of Singapore, responsible for developing policy and advising both public and private sector organizations on data protection and privacy issues. Her key areas of focus included emerging technology, data economy, telecommunications, and financial sectors. She also held the international portfolio in the Commission for the Asia-Pacific and Europe regions. Lee was also responsible for the Singapore Government’s work on AI Industry Strategy and worked on AI Governance issues, including the Singapore Government’s Model AI Governance Framework. Lee is a graduate of the London School of Economics and Political Science. She is based in AWS’ Singapore office.
Mark Bryan Manantan is Senior Fellow for Cybersecurity and Critical Technology at the Pacific Forum in Honolulu, Hawaii. His current research focuses on the nexus of diplomacy, security, and governance of technology and innovation in Southeast Asia and the Indo-Pacific. He is also a non-resident fellow at the Center for Southeast Asian Studies, at the National Chengchi University, Taiwan, and formerly a visiting fellow at the Japan Foundation, the Center for Rule-Making Strategies at Tama University in Tokyo, Japan, and the East-West Center, Washington D.C.
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 focuses on security developments in Southeast Asia as well as global governance and technology. Elina was previously at the Daniel K. Inouye Asia-Pacific Center for Security Studies, the Institute of Strategic and International Studies Malaysia, and the Brookings Institution. Between 2017 and 2019, she 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.
Jun-E Tan (Moderator) is a Senior Research Associate at Khazanah Research Institute. Her research interests include digital rights and AI governance in the contexts of Southeast Asia and Malaysia. Some recent works include “To What Extent Does Malaysia’s National Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) Policy Address AI Security Risks?” (book chapter to be published by Digital Futures Lab and Konrad Adenauer Stiftung in 2022), Governance of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in Southeast Asia (a report published by EngageMedia in 2021), and "Digital Rights in Southeast Asia: Conceptual Framework and Movement Building" (book chapter published by SHAPE-SEA in 2019). Jun-E has also worked in the areas of environmental and climate policy, social and solidarity economy, as well as sustainable development in general. She holds a PhD in Communication from Nanyang Technological University in Singapore, a Master’s degree in Public Policy (University of Malaya), and a Bachelor’s degree in Information Systems Engineering (Universiti Tunku Abdul Rahman).