ASEAN endorses regional AI-in-health programme at science and technology ministerial

ASEAN science and technology ministers meeting in Vientiane on 26 June welcomed progress on a regional programme for AI applications in the health sector, one of two priority deliverables agreed for 2026 alongside a bloc-wide declaration on space science cooperation.

The 22nd ASEAN Ministerial Meeting on Science, Technology and Innovation (AMMSTI-22), themed around advancing the ASEAN Plan of Action on Science, Technology and Innovation (APASTI), brought together ministers from member states and ASEAN Secretary-General Kao Kim Hourn.

Vietnam’s delegation, led by Deputy Minister of Science and Technology Bui Hoang Phuong, called for common regional frameworks covering artificial intelligence, big data, space technology and cybersecurity, framing coordinated rules as necessary to build a secure regional digital business environment.

The meeting also launched the ASEAN Science, Technology and Innovation Fund (ASTIF) call for proposals under the theme “ASEAN Grand Challenge: AI-Enabled Competitive and Resilient Region,” directing funding toward AI applications intended to address regional challenges and improve public wellbeing.

Ministers welcomed the operationalisation of the ASEAN–Republic of Korea High-Performance Computing Facility in Indonesia, described as the region’s first shared supercomputing infrastructure. The facility is intended to support advanced research spanning AI, climate modelling, disaster forecasting, biotechnology and industrial innovation — capacity that regional health AI developers have historically had to source outside Southeast Asia.

Governance also featured: the ASEAN Committee on Science, Technology and Innovation (COSTI) will be restructured from nine sub-committees to five, a change ministers said was intended to sharpen alignment with APASTI and speed delivery of regional priorities.

No detail was given at the meeting on the scope, funding, or timeline of the AI-in-health programme itself; that will be one to watch as APASTI implementation progresses toward Malaysia’s hosting of AMMSTI-23 in June 2027.