Asia-Pacific Advances Responsible AI Amid Geopolitical Tensions and Strategic Challenges

The Asia-Pacific region continues to solidify its position as a global leader in responsible artificial intelligence (AI) development, pushing forward ambitious national strategies, sector-specific standards, and regional cooperation efforts. Recent developments highlight a region committed to fostering ethical, sovereign, and secure AI ecosystems, even as geopolitical tensions, security concerns, and intellectual property disputes intensify. From pioneering legislative frameworks to complex international conflicts over model capabilities, Asia-Pacific's approach exemplifies a delicate balance—promoting innovation while reinforcing oversight, resilience, and sovereignty.

Strengthening Regional Leadership Through National Strategies

India: Championing Sovereignty and Ethical AI

India sustains its leadership with the rollout of its "AI Decade" initiative, which emphasizes building indigenous AI ecosystems rooted in strategic autonomy and data sovereignty. The India AI Impact Summit 2026 served as a platform to showcase efforts aimed at reducing dependence on foreign technology and accelerating domestic innovation. Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s proactive engagement with global tech leaders—such as OpenAI CEO Sam Altman—underscores India’s ambition to construct a self-reliant yet globally integrated AI landscape.

Beyond technological advancements, India emphasizes cybersecurity, trustworthy AI deployment, and ethical standards. Initiatives are underway to embed ethical norms into AI practices, ensuring public oversight and alignment with regional and global norms that foster societal trust and protect data sovereignty.

The Philippines: Building a Regional AI Hub

The Philippines is positioning itself as an emerging regional nexus for AI innovation by emphasizing international collaboration to address ethical, economic, and security risks. Leaders like Brian Poe at the Davos World Economic Forum have outlined frameworks to develop formalized AI policies, focusing on sectors such as healthcare, agriculture, and security. These efforts aim to align with ASEAN standards, promoting trustworthy AI and regional stability.

South Korea: Legislation for Trustworthy AI

South Korea has enacted comprehensive AI safety legislation designed to prevent misuse—notably deepfakes, scams, and malicious manipulation. These laws establish regional benchmarks, emphasizing public safety and user protection. The people-centered approach exemplifies a trustworthy AI framework, prioritizing safety, public confidence, and ethical deployment of increasingly autonomous systems.

Taiwan: A Model for Holistic AI Governance

Taiwan’s recent AI Basic Act, passed by the Legislative Yuan on December 23, 2025, and enacted on January 14, 2026, signals a proactive stance toward AI regulation. The legislation emphasizes ethical standards, industry innovation, and public participation, aiming to balance technological growth with societal values. Taiwan’s comprehensive approach positions it as a potential model for other Asian nations seeking robust, holistic AI policies.

Sectoral Governance: Standards and Oversight

People-Centered and Sector-Specific Frameworks

As AI systems become more autonomous and pervasive, governance frameworks are evolving to prioritize transparency, inclusivity, and accountability. The MacArthur Foundation advocates for people-centered oversight models that safeguard human values and societal well-being, seeking to bridge governance gaps and ensure AI aligns with public interests.

In critical sectors:

• The Financial Services AI Risk Management Framework (FS AI RMF) aims to protect market stability and consumer rights.
• The FUTURE-AI standards promote trustworthy AI in healthcare, emphasizing interoperability and ethical compliance.
• The Brookings Institution emphasizes "Building Pro-Worker AI", supporting workers’ rights and equitable labor practices.

Healthcare: Clinician-Led Oversight

A growing consensus underscores that healthcare AI must be clinician-led to ensure safety, effectiveness, and ethical integrity. An influential article, "AI governance in health care: Why physicians must lead the design," warns against technologist-driven approaches that may overlook clinical realities and patient privacy. Embedding medical professionals into the design and oversight of health AI solutions is deemed critical to trustworthy deployment.

Debunking Governance Myths and Addressing Challenges

Recent analyses address "8 myths that are sabotaging modern AI governance," emphasizing that treating AI as a neutral tool ignores its socio-technical nature. Recognizing AI as a human-driven socio-technical system is vital for sound policies and public trust.

Cybersecurity and Ethical Concerns

Cybersecurity remains a critical concern, especially with malicious AI activities—such as deepfake scams and fraud schemes—on the rise. Countries are enacting regulations to counter these threats, but a governance gap persists. Recent intelligence reports reveal that malicious actors are actively distilling functionalities from advanced AI models, further exacerbating security vulnerabilities.

Escalating Geopolitical Tensions and Security Challenges

Allegations of IP Theft and Model Distillation

A significant recent development involves Anthropic, a leading AI safety organization, which accused Chinese AI firms—including DeepSeek, Moonshot AI, and MiniMax—of illicitly extracting capabilities from Claude, its flagship language model. According to Anthropic, these firms set up over 24,000 fake accounts to illicitly access and copy functionalities, raising serious concerns over IP theft and national security.

Anthropic founder Dario Amodei publicly condemned these actions, warning that unauthorized model copying jeopardizes innovation and security. Elon Musk, a prominent advocate for AI safety, publicly criticized these practices, calling them "guilty" and warning of significant risks associated with unauthorized model distillation. These allegations exemplify ongoing geopolitical frictions, especially as Chinese firms reportedly use Claude to accelerate their own model development, fueling fears over IP violations and technological espionage.

A Reuters report from February 23, 2026, detailed how Chinese AI companies have leveraged Claude’s capabilities to fast-track their model training, worsening security concerns and prompting calls for international regulation to protect IP and maintain technological sovereignty.

US Domestic and Military Pressures

In the United States, debates over AI safety and military applications are intensifying. Recent reports reveal that Pentagon officials have queried defense contractors about their reliance on Anthropic’s AI models. An internal memo disclosed that the Department of Defense is assessing dependency levels to inform procurement and strategic resilience.

A recent article titled "Pentagon asks defense contractors about reliance on Anthropic's AI services, source says" reports that the Pentagon is evaluating vulnerabilities related to vendor lock-in and security risks. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has warned that over-reliance could jeopardize national security, prompting the department to consider stricter oversight of AI safety protocols in military systems. Furthermore, the Pentagon is exploring developing in-house AI models as a safeguard against dependence on external providers—highlighting the strategic importance of sovereign AI capabilities.

This dispute underscores broader geopolitical frictions: Western firms advocating for strict safety standards clash with government demands for unrestricted operational access—especially in security-sensitive contexts. The tensions highlight the urgent need for international frameworks that balance innovation, security, and sovereignty.

Infrastructure and Capacity Gaps

Despite strategic efforts, infrastructure deficiencies—notably computing resources and data center capacity—continue to hinder AI development across emerging economies in Asia-Pacific. Reports from DIGITIMES Asia underscore the urgent need for public investments to expand digital infrastructure, enabling broad AI adoption and inclusive economic growth.

Initiatives like "AI for the Global South" aim to build local expertise in ethics, policy, and technical skills. Efforts are underway to harmonize standards like FUTURE-AI, but capacity-building remains nascent. The House Science Committee recently emphasized the urgent need to expand data center infrastructure to support regional AI ecosystems. Diplomatic efforts are also focused on countering foreign data sovereignty initiatives, making capacity-building and standardization even more critical for regional resilience.

Latest Developments: Institutional AI Policy Examples

An illustrative example of evolving AI governance is the recent AI policy adopted by Bond University. The "Artificial Intelligence Policy TL 3.5.4 V1" emphasizes ethical principles, responsible use, and safeguards aligned with international standards. The policy underscores transparency, accountability, and human oversight—aiming to set a benchmark for academic and industry practices alike.

This institutional example reinforces the broader trend toward formalized AI policies that prioritize ethical governance, public trust, and collaborative regulation—elements essential for sustainable AI ecosystems.

Implications and Future Outlook

The region’s proactive policies—from national strategies to sectoral standards and regional cooperation—demonstrate a determined effort to advance responsible and sovereign AI. However, geopolitical frictions, IP theft allegations, and security vulnerabilities pose significant challenges to trust and collaboration.

International agreements on IP protections and AI safety standards are increasingly urgent. The Anthropic–Pentagon dispute exemplifies the delicate balance between innovation and security, emphasizing the need for multilateral frameworks that safeguard sovereignty while fostering collaborative progress.

Looking ahead, the region is likely to:

• Continue emphasizing sovereign, ethical AI frameworks.
• Strengthen regional standards and capacity-building initiatives.
• Push for multilateral regulation to counter geopolitical risks and protect IP.
• Enhance oversight and safeguards for military and critical infrastructure applications.

In sum, Asia-Pacific’s leadership in responsible AI hinges on ambitious policy-making, regional cooperation, and robust security measures. The coming months will be pivotal in shaping global norms, trustworthy standards, and the responsible deployment of AI technologies that can deliver societal benefits while safeguarding against emerging risks.