The EU and its member states have dispatched officials for talks on governing the use of AI with at least 10 Asian countries, including India, Japan, South Korea, Singapore and the Philippines, they said. The bloc aims for its proposed AI Act to become a global benchmark on the booming technology and how its data protection laws have helped shape international privacy standards.

Its efforts to convince Asian governments of the need for stringent new rules are being met with a lukewarm reception. Most Asian countries favour a “wait and see” approach or lean towards a more flexible regulatory regime.

For example, Singapore wants to see how AI evolves before adopting local regulations. Officials from Singapore and the Philippines expressed concern that moving overly hasty regulation might stifle AI innovation.