Regional coordination imperative for an ASEAN approach to AI

Dickson Woo, Country General Manager and Technology Leader, IBM Malaysia believes the key is balancing national sovereignty with regional coordination to create a competitive ASEAN AI ecosystem that can compete globally while serving local needs.

As Malaysia focuses on taking an ASEAN approach to AI adoption and deployment, Dickson Woo, Country General Manager and Technology Leader, IBM Malaysia believes that Malaysia’s leadership in AI can be a catalyst for a stronger, more competitive ASEAN-wide AI ecosystem.

“Building on the country’s national AI strategy, there is an opportunity to extend best practices, governance models, and talent development frameworks across the region, turning ASEAN into a global leader in responsible and innovative AI,” said Woo.

For Woo, the key is balancing national sovereignty with regional coordination to create a competitive ASEAN AI ecosystem that can compete globally while serving local needs. This means moving beyond isolated efforts and embracing shared goals that strengthen the region’s collective capabilities.

Woo also shared IBM’s views on what’s needed for a regional approach to AI to work. First, there should be a coordinated regional framework. This includes a “whole-of-ASEAN” strategy, akin to Malaysia’s “whole-of-nation” approach, bringing together governments, industry, academia and Rakyat across member states. Shared AI governance standards and responsible AI practices will be crucial to ensure trust and interoperability.

Next the focus should be on digital talent development whereby a regional AI talent registry can address critical digital talent shortages, coordinated upskilling from K-12 to professional levels, and cross-border collaboration to attract and retain talent within ASEAN.

There should also be a strong focus on infrastructure and investment coordination. The shared compute infrastructure, AI-ready data centers, coordinated investment strategies to avoid duplication, and joint development of large language models and sector-specific AI solutions.

Lastly, it’s important to have competitive collaboration. Recognizing ASEAN’s healthy competition while driving joint policy learning, regulatory alignment, and moving from importing AI technology to creating domestic AI innovation at scale.

“By aligning national strengths with regional collaboration, ASEAN can create an AI-powered future that drives sustainable growth, fosters trust, and positions the region at the forefront of global innovation,” said Woo.

Established in 1961, IBM Malaysia has grown leaps and bounds to become a trusted

technology partner in delivering technology solutions to Malaysian businesses across industries. In its 64-year presence in the country, the technology vendor has played a pivotal role in advancing a nation’s cloud and AI journey by providing the secure, scalable infrastructure needed to power innovation, while ensuring compliance with local regulations and data sovereignty requirements.

“Beyond technology, we believe that people remain at the heart of successful Hybrid Cloud and AI adoption. To that end, IBM is committed to skilling 30 million people globally by 2030,” concluded Woo.