Thailand seeks 'hybrid' AI governance model

Thailand is accelerating efforts to position itself as Southeast Asia's center for responsible artificial intelligence, with officials aiming to complete the country's first AI law within the current fiscal year while carefully balancing innovation with regulation.

Speaking at AI Governance Week 2026, held from June 29 to July 3 by the Electronic Transactions Development Agency, or ETDA, and its AI Governance Practice Center, or AIGPC, Digital Economy and Society Minister Chaichanok Chidchob said the country is entering a new phase in its AI strategy — one focused less on policymaking and more on practical implementation.

He said AI is reshaping education, business, public services and the way societies compete. "To support that transition, Thailand has established the AI Governance Practice Center with international partners, aiming to build the country into a trusted regional hub for AI ethics and governance," he said.

The government's proposed AI Act reflects an approach that differs from jurisdictions pursuing either sweeping restrictions or minimal oversight. Chaichana Mitrpant, ETDA's executive director, said that Thailand is seeking a hybrid framework that encourages innovation while introducing safeguards for higher-risk applications.

Rather than imposing stringent rules before the technology matures, policymakers are studying how AI can best support Thailand's economic development, social welfare and cultural priorities, he said. Public consultations on the draft legislation are underway, with authorities expecting to finalize the bill before the end of the fiscal year.

One of the law's most closely watched provisions concerns the growing dispute over the use of copyrighted material to train AI models.

Chaichana said ETDA has convened a committee of intellectual property specialists, legal experts and judges to develop guidelines on revenue-sharing mechanisms and define acceptable limits for training data. Those recommendations will be incorporated into the legislation.

Officials are also considering requiring AI-generated content to carry clear labels to improve transparency, while avoiding unnecessary compliance burdens for legitimate creators, he said.

Enforcement, Chaichana said, will concentrate on high-risk AI applications that could affect national or personal security, an approach designed to strengthen public trust without deterring foreign investment.

ETDA is also preparing to ask the Thai cabinet to make AI governance standards compulsory across government agencies. "If approved, existing voluntary guidelines would become mandatory for all state institutions deploying AI, while the AIGPC, continues examining AI's role in areas including the justice system and education," he added.

Thailand's legislative push comes as governments across Asia struggle to translate enthusiasm for AI into widespread deployment. A study released in June by the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific and the Asian Development Bank found that shortages of AI-related talent remain the biggest obstacle to adoption across the region.

Although many economies have modernized digital trade systems, the report said that weaknesses in data integration, interoperability and operational readiness continue to limit the technology's impact. It calls for increased investment in AI skills, digital infrastructure and governance frameworks, alongside deeper regional cooperation to enable secure, data-driven trade.

"It is critical to support developing economies in strengthening digital infrastructure, cross-border connectivity, interoperable systems and digital skills to harness the benefits of AI-enabled trade facilitation," said Fatima Yasmin, vice-president for sectors and themes at the Asian Development Bank.

Intl partnerships

Thailand is also seeking to strengthen its AI ecosystem through international partnerships, including with China, to improve productivity through advanced robotics and intelligent automation.

Last week, Shanghai-based embodied AI and foundation-model developer AgiBot announced plans to establish an Asia-Pacific sales office in Thailand.

Founded in February 2023, Agi-Bot delivered 5,168 humanoid robots last year, giving it a 39 percent share of the global market and placing it first worldwide in both deliveries and market share, according to market research firm Omdia.

"We selected Thailand for the first batch of overseas markets when we launched international operations in the fourth quarter last year," said Deng Feng, AgiBot's president for the Middle East and Asia-Pacific. "Thailand will function as the company's Asia-Pacific regional headquarters."

AgiBot has also entered a partnership with a Thai IT distributor to accelerate the adoption of humanoid robots and develop new commercial applications for the local market.

yangwanli@chinadaily.com.cn