Power Affairs: As geopolitics splits tech, Malaysia leads ASEAN AI Safety Network

RIO DE JANEIRO: Malaysia is championing the establishment of an ASEAN AI Safety Network to promote responsible innovation and strengthen regulatory capacity across Southeast Asia, as part of its response to the growing global fragmentation in technology governance.

Speaking at the BRICS Leaders’ Summit in Rio de Janeiro on Sunday, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim warned that the global technology landscape is increasingly fractured along geopolitical lines, creating structural barriers for developing economies and deepening inequality.

“What was once a shared global space for innovation is now splitting into parallel systems.

“Export controls, national security restrictions, and diverging standards are creating competing technology ecosystems. This affects access to capital, computing infrastructure, and participation in global value chains,” Anwar said.

Malaysia was invited to the summit as a BRICS Partner Country and Anwar used the platform to highlight the implications of digital fragmentation for small and medium economies particularly in Southeast Asia.

He underscored the need for multilateral cooperation and regional leadership to ensure that emerging technologies, especially artificial intelligence, support development rather than domination.

“As ASEAN Chair, Malaysia is championing the establishment of an ASEAN AI Safety Network, a regional initiative to strengthen governance and capacity in this fast-moving domain,” he said.

- Photo courtesy of PM's Office

Anwar also pointed to the ASEAN Digital Economy Framework Agreement (DEFA) as a key enabler of regional growth.

“With the right investment and regulatory standards, ASEAN’s digital economy could reach USD 2 trillion by 2030. This is an opportunity we cannot afford to squander.”

He linked the fragmentation of technology with broader shifts in the global economic order, where trade and innovation are increasingly shaped by strategic rivalries instead of shared rules.

Anwar also outlined Malaysia’s three-pillar-strategy, diversification over dependency, resilience over fragility and regional agency over external prescription.

Calling for greater alignment between BRICS and ASEAN priorities, Anwar urged emerging economies to lead efforts in building a digital future that is fair, inclusive, and governed by ethical principles.

“The path ahead will not be shaped by drift, it will be shaped by resolve,” he concluded.