By Charmaine Tan
The sixth ASEAN Digital Ministers’ Meeting (ADGMIN) held in Hanoi marked a pivotal transition for the region's technical landscape. Under the theme "Adaptive ASEAN: From Connectivity to Connected Intelligence," ministers from the 11 member states—notably including Timor-Leste's historic participation as a full member—solidified a strategy for regional growth through the Hanoi Declaration on digital cooperation.
The Declaration focuses on strengthening AI cooperation, building resilient infrastructure, and fostering deep trust in cross-border data flows. While the summit celebrated the completion of the 2025 Masterplan, the adoption of the ASEAN Digital Masterplan 2026–2030 (ADM 2030) now provides the five-year strategy necessary to build a secure, innovative, and interoperable digital community.
The Move Toward Standardised Benchmarking for AI
For AI professionals, the most significant technical shift is the transition from theoretical guidelines to operational testing. The meeting approved 2026 Work Plans focusing on AI and security in collaboration with partners like China, the U.S., and the World Bank.
Central to this is the Regional AI Testing and Benchmarking Framework (the “ASEAN Safety Test”). Developed by the Working Group on AI Governance(WG-AI), this framework removes deployment friction by allowing firms to utilise a single safety seal across the bloc.
To manage the inherent risks of generative models, the ASEAN AI Safety Network was officially established, supported by new, broader AI guidelines. This network, led by Malaysia in collaboration with the UK and US AI Safety Institutes, ensures that regional deployments align with global technical best practices.
Focus on Data Architecture and Infrastructure Resilience
Data engineering across borders has long been hampered by "data gravity" and localised compliance. To solve this, the Working Group on Digital Data Governance (WG-DDG) is moving forward with the following initiatives:
1. Regional ‘White Lists’: Enabling free data movement and reducing the need for redundant, expensive localised server infrastructure.
2. Standardised Compliance: Mapping ASEAN Model Contractual Clauses (MCCs) to China’s Standard Contractual Clauses, simplifying data pipelines for firms operating in both markets.
3. Global Interoperability: Transitioning APEC Cross-Border Privacy Rules into a global certification to streamline international data transfers.
Beyond software and policy, the summit addressed the physical layer of the data stack. Ministers are committed to improving submarine cable resilience and ensuring the operational readiness of the ASEAN Regional CERT (Computer Emergency Response Team). For data professionals, this signals a move toward higher uptime and more robust regional cybersecurity.
Accelerating Economic Integration and Security
To further boost e-commerce and digital trade across the bloc, negotiations on the ASEAN Digital Economy Framework Agreement (DEFA) were accelerated. This initiative sits alongside new measures to protect the ecosystem, including the introduction of a specialised working group (WG-AS) and a new regional guide, which specifically targets anti-scam efforts to enhance digital safety.
ADGMIN’s initiatives demonstrate ASEAN’s determined positioning as a business-ready hub for GenAI innovation.
As Singapore’s Minister for Digital Development and Information, Mrs Josephine Teo, noted, the goal is to implement these guidelines to “ensure that ASEAN is safer together in an increasingly connected world."
The 7th ADGMIN in 2027 will be held in Brunei.
