UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres this month announced the first meeting of the new Independent International Scientific Panel on Artificial Intelligence (AI), a body composed of 40 experts selected from nearly 2,700 global applicants. It marked AI governance’s formal entry into a more institutionalized phase.
Among the panelists is professor Yutaka Matsuo, chair of Japan’s AI Strategy Council, indicative of Japan’s success in securing a crucial level of power in setting the agenda as the international community begins to form rules for global AI governance.
As the question at hand moves from one of technology to the institutionalization of rules and norms, the panel expects to release a report in July that could form the basis of digital trading rules, technological controls and industry standards for the world’s major economies.
Japan, through the participation of one of its key experts in the UN system, has the means to advance its own industry interests in the earliest stages of the norms-setting process. Meanwhile, Taiwan has long had to grapple with constantly being relegated to the status of “rules taker” instead of “rules maker.” This asymmetry naturally becomes a cause for concern for industrial competitiveness.
There are three main implications at hand.
First is that the classification of AI risks might well translate into future technological trade barriers. If major markets come to adopt the UN framework, it would result in a significant cost markup for Taiwan’s development of AI software and system integration services.
Second is the implicit barriers that come with international cooperation on tech; players that cannot meet safety and explainability standards are ultimately excluded from high-level supply chains.
Third, for small to medium-sized enterprises with limited resources, stricter regulations for specific sectors — such as medical AI and surveillance systems — means heightened uncertainty over market access.
While the disparity in rule-making authority does indeed pose a structural problem, if Taiwan could transform its existing strength in semiconductors and computing power into strategic assets for an emerging trustworthy supply chain, it could still leap from the position of capable supplier to that of trusted partner. At this critical juncture in the formation of a global AI governance framework, this would undoubtedly represent a major milestone for smart national policymaking and industrial resilience.
Chiang Tai-chin is director of the Japan Center at the Chung-Hua Institution for Economic Research.
Translated by Gilda Knox Streader
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