US-ASEAN Business Council Organizes Regional Workshop to Promote Responsible AI
(Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia) On August 12, 2025, the US-ASEAN Business Council (USABC) hosted its first regional AI workshop on ASEAN’s AI safety ecosystem as an official event partner of the ASEAN AI Malaysia Summit in Kuala Lumpur. This workshop served as the Council’s first regional capacity-building workshop focused on AI, convening the U.S. private sector, ASEAN Working Group on AI Governance and Ethics (WG-AI) representatives, and related government officials from across 8 agencies.
This workshop provided an important platform to promote multistakeholder dialogue on ASEAN’s AI landscape, identifying tangible ways forward to unlock resilient economic growth through responsible AI adoption. The event featured keynote remarks by Mr. Adrian Marcellus, Chief Executive Officer of MyDIGITAL Corporation, Malaysia; H.E. Dr. Kao Kim Hourn, Secretary-General of ASEAN; Senior Bureau Official Russ Headlee at the U.S. Department of State Bureau of Cyberspace and Digital Policy; Frederico Costa, AI and Data Policy Lead at Amazon Web Services; and Norman Ng, Head of APAC Trust & Safety Global Engagements (Global Affairs) at Google. The keynote speakers highlighted ASEAN’s immense AI opportunity and the importance of establishing sound, fit-for-purpose mechanisms to promote responsible AI while enabling innovation.
“AI has immense potential to drive digital economic growth and innovation, leading to the creation of new jobs and skill sets. We commend the efforts to help harmonize AI policy throughout the region,” said Dr. James Andrade, Singapore Chief Country Representative and Senior ASEAN Advisor of the US-ASEAN Business Council. “Our members have actively sought to support local AI initiatives and stand ready to continue serving as trusted partners.”
The workshop concluded with a panel discussion on concrete examples and opportunities to implement responsible AI in the face of rapid technological advancements. The panel featured insights by Justin Hong, Deputy Director, International Relations, Policy and Strategy of the Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA) of Singapore; Bryan Yeoh, Senior Manager, Thought Leadership & Strategic Partnership, Malaysia Centre4IR, MyDIGITAL Corporation; Clara Koh, Head of Public Policy, Singapore and ASEAN at Meta; Janitra Haryanto, Manager of Government Affairs & Public Policy at Salesforce; and Nies Purwati, Senior Director of Government Affairs, Southeast Asia at Qualcomm International, Inc. On the sidelines of the Summit, USABC also held productive bilateral meetings with senior officials, including Mr. Adrian Marcellus, Chief Executive Officer of MyDIGITAL Corporation, Malaysia; Secretary General Tuan Fabian Bigar at the Ministry of Digital, Malaysia; and Senior Bureau Official Russ Headlee at the U.S. Department of State Bureau of Cyberspace and Digital Policy.
USABC remains committed to supporting ASEAN’s AI ambitions, working closely with government partners and its members to advance responsible AI adoption and support greater harmonization. The workshop was supported by Amazon Web Services, Google, Meta, Salesforce, and Qualcomm.