AI Policy and Regulatory Frameworks in the Indo-Pacific
The BGA Indo-Pacific team, led by BGA Director Apoorva Kolluru and wrote an update to an update to clients on evolving AI policies and regulatory frameworks across the Indo-Pacific.
Context
· Indo-Pacific governments are rapidly shifting from high-level principles to more formal and institutionalized AI governance frameworks. A growing number of markets including Japan, Korea and Vietnam have enacted AI-specific legislation, while others such as India, Australia, Indonesia and Singapore are advancing detailed guidelines, oversight bodies, risk-based models and national AI strategies. Nearly all economies have positioned AI as an economic, security and competitiveness imperative.
· AI governance trends across the region converge around risk-based oversight, sector-specific approaches and investment in talent, compute and data infrastructure. Governments are developing national strategies, expanding regulatory sandboxes, enhancing safety institutes and updating data governance regimes. Implementation capacity varies widely, but the direction of travel is toward clearer accountability, infrastructure investment and greater regulatory coordination across agencies.
Significance
· AI is now treated as a strategic national asset, prompting more institutionalized oversight and sustained political attention. Countries are embedding AI across sectors through national plans and budgets while addressing challenges such as deepfakes, data sovereignty, algorithmic bias, intellectual property tensions and cross-border data flows, blending ambition with pragmatic rollout.
· Regulatory pathways remain diverse as governments calibrate frameworks to local political, economic and institutional realities. While inspired by global standards, countries are adapting risk classifications, governance mechanisms and implementation models to their own contexts.
Implications
· Companies can anticipate tighter expectations with opportunities for collaboration. Prepare for risk assessments, transparency/labeling of AI-generated content, incident reporting, provenance and bias testing and sector-specific controls. Engage early via sandboxes, safety institutes, standards work and public-private programs aligned with national agendas — a practical inflection point for policy-aligned growth.
· Businesses should watch country-specific inflection points and sovereign-AI preferences. Track new and upcoming frameworks and programs such as Japan’s AI Promotion Act; Korea’s AI Basic Act; Vietnam’s AI Law (effective March 1); and other roadmaps, guidalines and plans across the region.
We will continue to keep you updated on developments in AI regulation as they occur. If you have any comments or questions, please contact BGA Director Apoorva Kolluru at akolluru@bowergroupasia.com and BGA Associate Harris Amjad at hamjad@bowergroupasia.com.
