ASEAN Enhances Legal and Judicial Cooperation with AI Integration

At the ASEAN Law Forum 2026, hosted by Vietnam, the application of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in social activities, particularly in law-making and enforcement, highlighted the need for strengthened cooperation among ASEAN nations to enhance judicial efficiency, legal access, and public trust. Mildred Bernadette B. Alvor, Assistant Senior State Counsel and Undersecretary of the Department of Justice of the Philippines, noted that AI is no longer just a buzzword in technology but a tangible reality visible daily. The Philippines has begun developing large language models tailored to domestic needs, such as the "eLegis Reference System" by the Department of the Interior and Local Government and "iTanong" by the Department of Science and Technology. The use of AI is also becoming increasingly prevalent in the legal and judicial sectors. Dr. Randeep Kaur, an economic expert on Digital Policy and AI at the ASEAN+3 Macroeconomic Research Office (AMRO), cited examples of AI use for document analysis in Brazil and Greece, case classification in France, and recording and translation in Spain, Slovenia, and Greece. AI assists in drafting documents and editing information, significantly reducing administrative processing times, increasing transparency, and allowing legal professionals to focus on more complex tasks. Surveys in Colombia show AI usage saves 36 minutes in case review, while in Argentina, AI can reduce the time to draft a judgment by up to 50 minutes. Many countries, including the United States, Singapore, South Korea, the United Arab Emirates, and European Union member states, consider AI a crucial tool for improving governance quality, enhancing the efficiency of law-making, and increasing citizens' access to legal services. The Hanoi Declaration on Digital Cooperation, adopted at the 6th ASEAN Digital Ministers' Meeting in January, affirmed AI's potential to simultaneously impact societal operations, industrial productivity, cybersecurity, environmental protection, the formation of new economic models, and how governments provide public and administrative services to citizens. Consequently, AI development and governance are increasingly becoming a core component of national development policies, governance, and regional cooperation, not just a technical issue. For ASEAN, the ability to develop, govern, and deploy AI directly impacts the region's overall competitiveness. Amidst increasing investments in AI by major countries and corporations seeking advantages in productivity, technology, and influence, fragmentation in standards, data, and deployment capabilities could shrink the ASEAN market size, increase compliance costs, and limit the development of cross-border usable products. Regional cooperation, therefore, not only facilitates resource sharing but also helps create the necessary scale for ASEAN to enhance its competitiveness and actively participate in shaping the rules of the AI economy. Simone Boneschi, a regional expert on the rule of law and human rights at the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Asia-Pacific Regional Centre, stated that the Asia-Pacific region has made considerable progress in establishing basic governance frameworks for AI development, with Vietnam notably pioneering binding regulations through its National Assembly's enactment of the Artificial Intelligence Law. Drawing on Singapore's experience, Tan Sze Yao, Senior Counsel at the Civil Division of the Attorney-General's Chambers, explained that Singapore's governance framework for AI use comprises five complementary layers, ranging from legislation enacted by the legislature to voluntary frameworks, corresponding to the risk profile of the tool being handled. According to many delegates, ASEAN's regional cooperation in the AI field should aim at building essential common standards and tools, which each nation can then further specify in accordance with its legal system, management needs, and technological readiness. Source: Nhan Dan