KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia is developing a National AI Trust Framework to guide responsible use, build public trust, and position the country as a regional leader in artificial intelligence (AI) governance.
Digital Minister Gobind Singh Deo said the National AI Office began looking into the AI trust framework earlier this year.
“We have engaged with industry players, academia, civil society, ministries and agencies. This is still a work in progress. What we need is a trust framework that is Malaysia-centric and tailored to the needs of our society,“ he told reporters at PwC Malaysia’s AI Leadership Conference 2025 today.
Gobind said Malaysia is exploring a regulatory environment to oversee the ethical deployment of AI, resolve emerging data rights, enforce evolving standards and serve as a trusted custodian of public interest.
“It requires tools such as regulatory sandboxes, algorithmic audits, model registries, and risk-calibrated compliance pathways that reflect the diversity and complexity of AI applications.”
Gobind said the government is reviewing global models.
“Around the world, nations are embedding trust into the core architecture of their digital economies.”
The European Union, for example, has introduced data portability rights under the General Data Protection Regulation and is pushing for algorithmic transparency through the AI Act.
“China, meanwhile, is developing a sovereign data governance model via its Personal Information Protection Law and national data exchanges, blending centralised control with structured innovation,“ he pointed out.
Furthermore, Gobind said AI governance must also be addressed regionally.
“The question is how we shape our national policy and then escalate it to the Asean level to identify ways to work together.”
As Asean chair this year, Malaysia aims to spearhead regional cooperation on AI governance and trust.
“We will host an Asean AI Summit in August, where we intend to raise these issues and explore how we can jointly develop a framework to support an AI safety ecosystem across the region,“ he said.
Malaysia calls for stronger Asean collaboration to establish common principles and interoperable frameworks for trusted AI and ethical data governance.
“In a region as dynamic and diverse as ours, alignment is not just strategic – it is essential,“ he said.
Gobind said Malaysia is well-positioned to serve as a testbed for innovation, a regional convener, and a trusted partner in co-developing governance models that shape Southeast Asia’s digital future.
Since his appointment, the Ministry of Digital has gazetted the Cyber Security Act 2024 in August 2024 to strengthen Malaysia’s cyber defences. It also gazetted the Personal Data Protection (Amendment) Act 2024 in October 2024 to strengthen data protection and align with international standards.
In December 2024, the Data Sharing Act 2024 was passed to enable data exchange among public sector agencies.
