AI safety governance in Southeast Asia

AI SAFETY
GOVERNANCE,
THE
SOUTHEAST
ASIAN WAY
Lyantoniette Chua, Philip Tham, Chinasa T. Okolo
REPORT
AUGUST 2025

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ABOUT THE BROOKINGS INSTITUTION
The Brookings Institution is a nonprofit organization devoted to independent research and policy
solutions. Its mission is to conduct high-quality, independent research and, based on that research,
to provide innovative, practical recommendations for policymakers and the public. The conclu-
sions and recommendations of any Brookings publication are solely those of its author(s) and do
not reflect the views of the Institution, its management, or its other scholars.
ABOUT AI SAFETY ASIA
Established in 2024, AI Safety Asia (AISA) is a global non-profit dedicated to building Asia as a
globally-leading safe and responsible AI innovator. We strive to minimise the risks of AI adoption
while supporting societies to adopt AI safely. At the core of our mission is the integrated, diverse
and collaborative nature of our work. We believe that achieving safe and governed AI begins with
building bridges—between generations, disciplines, and regions through actionable steps across
our three interrelated program pillars that convene, research and build capacity to shape the future
of AI governance in Asia. Beginning in Southeast Asia, we support the development of policy, tech-
nical, and research capabilities across the Asia-Pacific region to help ensure AI is governed safely
and responsibly.
AI SAFETY
GOVERNANCE,
THE SOUTHEAST
ASIAN WAY
LYANTONIETTE CHUA is a co-founder of AI Safety Asia (AISA), where she is the executive
director for strategic futures & global affairs.
PHILIP THAM is the managing editor of this report and an analyst for AI Safety Asia (AISA).
CHINASA T. OKOLO is a fellow in the Governance Studies program at the Brookings Institution.
AUGUST 2025

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1	AI SAFETY GOVERNANCE, THE SOUTHEAST ASIAN WAY
READING THIS REPORT
The report is organized in various sections. The main insights can be found in Section 2.1:
Regional snapshot (which synthesizes commonalities across the 10 ASEAN member states
and Timor-Leste), Section 3: Recommendations for Southeast Asia, and Section 4: Lessons
for the wider world.
Specific country profiles are in Section 2: Regional and country reports and are meant to be
modular and stand alone. Observers keen to learn more about a specific country can simply
refer to each profile in isolation from other sections. Similarly, reading all country reports in
the section is not necessary to gather the key insights from this report.
Key definitions and/or insights from each section are also consolidated in blue boxes across
the report. These summaries are meant to be concise, with explanations embedded in the
main text of the report.

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2	AI SAFETY GOVERNANCE, THE SOUTHEAST ASIAN WAY
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS AND
EDITORIAL TEAM
This report is a joint effort between AI Safety Asia and the Brookings Institution Center for
Technology Innovation. The coauthor

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