ASEAN-U.S. LEADERS’ STATEMENT ON PROMOTING SAFE,
SECURE, AND TRUSTWORTHY ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE
WE, the Member States of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and the United States of America (United States), gathered on the occasion of the 12th ASEAN-United States (U.S.) Summit in Vientiane, Lao PDR, on 11 October 2024;
HIGHLIGHTING our shared interest in unlocking the significant potential of artificial intelligence (AI) while also mitigating its risks;
EMPHASIZING our support for the Lao PDR’s chairmanship theme of “Enhancing Connectivity and Resilience,” acknowledging the Master Plan on ASEAN Connectivity 2025; ASEAN Digital Masterplan 2025; ASEAN Guide on AI Governance and Ethics; as well as noting the UN General Assembly resolution on “Seizing the opportunities of safe, secure, and trustworthy artificial intelligence systems for sustainable development;” and the ASEAN-U.S. Digital Ministers 2023-2025 Work Plan;
REAFFIRMING the significant potential for AI to improve the lives of our respective peoples, including through the realization of the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs);
NOTING the positive, collaborative nature of the ASEAN-U.S. Comprehensive Strategic Partnership and our shared, affirmative vision for cyberspace, digital technologies, and the digital economy;
UNDERSCORING our support for the implementation of the ASEAN Outlook on the Indo-Pacific (AOIP) and the ASEAN-U.S. Comprehensive Strategic Partnership, both of which highlight economic cooperation, connectivity, and the fulfillment of the UN SDGs as key priorities;
WE HEREBY COMMIT TO:
1. ENHANCE the ASEAN-U.S. Comprehensive Strategic Partnership, consistent with the AOIP, by prioritizing collaboration on AI governance and capacity building in order to advance the UN SDGs through activities which may include 1) expanding the development, deployment, and use of safe, secure, and trustworthy AI systems;
2) supporting the development of national digital and AI strategies and discussions on governance and regulatory frameworks; 3) providing capacity building and workforce training; 4) improving and scaling up the responsible use of digital solutions, including addressing local languages and contexts; 5) facilitating research and analysis;
2. STRENGTHEN the safety, security, and trustworthiness of AI systems, as envisioned in the ASEAN Guide on AI Governance and Ethics, ASEAN Digital Masterplan 2025, UN General Assembly Resolution A/78/L.49 “Seizing the opportunities of safe, secure and trustworthy artificial intelligence systems for sustainable development,” and the Hiroshima Process International Code of Conduct for Organizations Developing Advanced AI Systems, and complementary with national efforts including the U.S. Executive Order on the Safe, Secure, and Trustworthy Development and Use of Artificial Intelligence, including through secure ICT ecosystems and enhanced collaboration on cybersecurity;
3. FURTHER COOPERATE on AI, including via capacity building, such as through voluntary knowledge sharing and voluntary transfer of technology on mutually agreed terms, to all ASEAN member states, including 1) the development of the ASEAN Responsible AI Roadmap and implementation initiatives in partnership with the ASEAN Digital Ministers, 2) engagements through the ASEAN Working Group on AI Governance (WG-AI) established under the ASEAN Digital Senior Officials’ Meeting (ADGSOM), 3) further discussion stemming from the Discussion Paper on Responsible Development and Use of Generative AI in ASEAN, and 4) enhancing knowledge and understanding of AI to inform the development of the ASEAN Digital Economy Framework Agreement;
4. COLLABORATE on the development of interoperable AI governance approaches and frameworks, including through further cooperation to support ASEAN’s completion of a forward-looking, comprehensive, and meaningful Digital Economy Framework Agreement that advances an open, secure, interoperable, competitive, and inclusive digital economy;
5. COLLABORATE on the research and development of AI, including through the exploration of AI regulatory sandboxes to contribute towards achieving the UN SDGs;
6. COOPERATE on international approaches to and interoperability between AI governance frameworks and standards to advance the safe, secure, and trustworthy development and use of AI;
7. PARTNER to help close AI divides, including gaps on AI technology and the capacity to use AI, and other digital divides that exist between and within countries;
8. PROMOTE inclusivity in the advancement of AI so that the benefits of AI can be enjoyed by all, unlocking the economic potentials of AI and uplifting livelihood and economic resilience of the region as a whole;
9. EMPOWER youth, women, rural populations, and vulnerable communities to boost their readiness to utilize AI to participate meaningfully in the digital economy;
10. COLLABORATE to strengthen and build our collective digital and cyber capacity;
11. WORK TOGETHER to promote respect for intellectual property rights, including copyright, amidst expanded AI adoption, promote transparency, address foreign information manipulation, including disinformation, and promote how to responsibly utilise these technologies;
12. AFFIRM the importance of digital solidarity, whereby digital technologies are used to spread prosperity and solve challenges;
13. ADVANCE an affirmative, rights-respecting vision for cyberspace and digital technologies focused on delivering the benefits of AI and other technologies;
14. AFFIRM the importance of cybersecurity, data security, data protection, and cyber-resilience as essential to AI systems and economic growth;
15. EXPLORE initiatives to raise public awareness and education on the importance of the security of AI, as well as the potential risks stemming from the misuse of AI technologies;
16. WORK TOGETHER to ensure the responsible use of AI, including using AI in a manner that respects human rights, privacy and personal data protection;
17. PROMOTE, BUILD, AND MAINTAIN an open, inclusive, secure, and resilient digital ecosystem as an enabling environment for AI systems;
18. AFFIRM the importance of respecting, protecting, and promoting human rights throughout the life cycle of AI systems and protecting individuals from all forms of discrimination, bias, misuse, or other harm from AI systems;
19. INTEGRATE AI, digital economy, and cybersecurity into relevant exchange programs focused on providing training to government officials and MSMEs; and
20. HIGHLIGHT the private sector’s efforts to upskill Southeast Asia’s workforce, including on improving digital literacy, and encourage the private sector to equitably spread the efforts across all Southeast Asian countries and different populations.
ADOPTED in Vientiane, Lao PDR, on the 11th of October in the Year Two Thousand and Twenty-Four.
