Thailand readies mandatory AI rules for public agencies

Just as a traditional Thai massage must be adapted to individual needs, artificial intelligence (AI) governance cannot be treated as a one-size-fits-all solution for every challenge. 

This analogy was shared by Thailand’s Electronic Transactions Development Agency (ETDA)’s CEO and Executive Director, Chaichana Mitrpant, while delivering the keynote at the AI Governance Week (AIGW) event hosted by ETDA on June 29 in Bangkok. 

Organisations, industries and countries face different AI risks and challenges, which meant that governance cannot be based on a single framework. 

As AI becomes more deeply integrated into society, the challenge was no longer developing ethical principles but translating them into practical governance that works across different sectors, Mitrpant noted.  

Themed Connecting the Right Dots: From Global AI Principles to Real-World Practice, the AIGW event aimed to provide a platform for governments, industry, academia and international organisations to exchange knowledge around practical approaches to AI governance. 

The event also saw the Thai government launching several implementation-focused initiatives. 

Concrete measures taken by the Thai government  

Mitrpant highlighted that while Thailand has made significant progress in establishing AI governance principles, the next chapter would focus on helping organisations implement these principles. 

He announced that the AI Governance Centre (AIGC), sitting under ETDA since 2022, will transition to the AI Governance Practice Center (AIGPC). 

The rebranded centre would develop governance tools, capacity building programmes and international cooperations tailored to Thailand's context and shared across ASEAN. 

Bangkok Post also highlighted two other key announcements made by the Thai government, including the government’s plan to finalise a draft for the AI Act as well as ETDA’s proposal to start enforcing AI governance guidelines in public agencies in the coming months. 

"Once approved, it will transition from a voluntary guideline to a mandatory framework for all state agencies using AI,” said Mitrpant, as reported by the Bangkok Post. 

Thailand has also been investing heavily in AI literacy and capacity building.  

Later this month, the AI Visionaries Programme – Strategy & Governance Master Class will bring participants from ten countries to Bangkok to explore governance strategies and implementation models.  

At the same time, ETDA’s AI Governance Train the Trainer programme aimed to expand from an initial group of 40 trainers to reach 3,000 executives by 2027. 

Additional initiatives included the expansion of the AI Governance and Digital Ethics in Education Project, as well as the ETDA Digital Citizen (EDC+) Campaign, both aimed at strengthening public understanding of AI and promoting responsible technology use. 

AI in schools as the impetus 

Mitrpant highlighted a recent incident in a school where a student misused generative AI (GenAI) to manipulate a classmate's image before circulating it. 

The case illustrated how AI governance is moving beyond policy discussions into daily life. 

Following the incident, ETDA has begun translating AI governance into practice through a pilot programme for schools.  

The initiative has trained 100 secondary school teachers in AI ethics and simplified generative AI governance guidelines to help teachers integrate AI responsibly into teaching and learning. 

This has also led to ETDA developing an AI playbook for schools, which has been adapted from UNESCO’s Ethical Impact Assessment framework for schools and brought together teachers, parents and students to identify potential risks associated with AI adoption in schools. 

Trust becomes the foundation of AI adoption 

Opening the AIGW event, Thailand’s Digital Economy and Society Minister Chaichanok Chidchob said that AI presents a “once-in-a-generation opportunity” for Thailand to increase productivity, create new industries, enhance public services and strengthen long-term competitiveness across different sectors. 

AI was no longer a future possibility, but is already transforming how people learn and work, how businesses compete, and how governments serve citizens, he said.

"The real question was not how powerful AI can be. The real question is whether people can trust it, and that is where Thailand's journey begins,” he emphasised.

The Minister added that Thailand aimed to position trust as a national competitive advantage, noting that trust was becoming “a new form of [institutional] infrastructure” that allows innovation to grow responsibly and sustainably. 

He argued that governance should not be viewed as separate from innovation. Governance does not slow innovation. It enables trust, and trust enables adoption.  

He highlighted that the country ranks among the world’s leading performers in several AI governance indicators, with Thailand ranked second globally for AI social acceptance and fifth for AI development inclusivity for the AI Governance International Evaluation Index 2025 (AGILE Index 2025). 

Effective AI governance, the Minister said, cannot be achieved by governments, industry, academia or international organisations acting independently, as he called for stronger collaboration to connect global guidance with local implementation.