A law regulating artificial intelligence (AI) yesterday went into effect in Vietnam, making it the first country in Southeast Asia with a comprehensive framework on the booming technology.
Passed by the Vietnamese National Assembly in December last year, the law focuses on the risks posed by generative AI, requiring human oversight and control along the lines of the EU’s landmark AI Act.
Many nations are moving to address the dangers of chatbots and image generators — from misinformation to online abuse and copyright violations — but few have enacted legislation.
Photo: AFP
The legislation “paves the way for Vietnam to deeply integrate with international standards while maintaining digital sovereignty,” the government said in a December report.
It requires companies to clearly label AI-generated content such as deepfakes that cannot readily be differentiated from reality.
It also requires them to disclose to customers when they are interacting with an artificial rather than human agent.
The law applies to developers as well as providers and deployers of the technology, whether they are Vietnamese organizations or foreign entities operating in the country.
The nation has set ambitious double-digit percentage growth targets for the next five years, with expansion of the digital economy a key part of its development strategy.
AI and the data economy are “pillars” of a “more sustainable and smarter new development” model, Vietnamese Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh was quoted as saying on Wednesday last week on the government’s Web site.
Under the law, the government would establish a national AI computing center, improved data resources and large language models in Vietnamese.
So far only a handful of countries have implemented far-reaching regulatory frameworks on AI.
The US, home to ChatGPT maker OpenAI, chip titan Nvidia Corp and tech giants like Google, is not keen on enacting new rules, with US Vice President J.D. Vance warning that “excessive regulation” could stifle innovation in the key sector.
The EU in 2024 initiated what it calls “the world’s first comprehensive AI law” and is gradually phasing in a set of rules that would become completely applicable next year.
South Korea in January became the first country to have an AI law take full effect, requiring companies to tell users when products use generative AI. It also says companies must clearly label content, including deepfakes, that cannot readily be differentiated from reality.
Places such as Taiwan and Japan are taking a lighter touch on AI regulation, shying away from penalties in favor of voluntary guidelines promoting innovation, while China — racing to challenge US dominance in the technology — has its own complex and evolving set of guardrails.
Many other countries, from Brazil to the United Arab Emirates, are implementing AI frameworks that could be divided into risk-based rules such as the EU’, or pro-innovation guidelines.
At an AI summit hosted by New Delhi last month, 91 countries and international organizations called for “secure, trustworthy and robust” AI.
However, their declaration, signed by the US and China, was criticized by AI safety campaigners for being too generic to protect the public.
An expert UN panel has also been established to work toward “science-led governance” of the technology, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has said.
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