AI Governance Bill To Ensure Human, Organisational Accountability - Gobind

KUALA LUMPUR, June 24 (Bernama) -- The Artificial Intelligence (AI) Governance Bill aims to ensure that individuals or organisations are accountable for any harm or risks arising from the use of the technology.

Digital Minister Gobind Singh Deo said this is because AI lacks legal personality or moral responsibility like humans, so accountability cannot be placed on the system itself.

"… responsibility must be placed on the humans, organisations, or entities that develop, provide, operate, or use the AI system. AI does not have a legal personality, so we (humans) must look into that (legal) aspect," he said during the Special Chamber session in the Dewan Rakyat today.

He was replying to a question from Khoo Poay Tiong (PH-Kota Melaka) on whether the AI Governance Bill would provide clear legal assurance to the public, who are increasingly facing challenges related to the technology.

Gobind said the principle of accountability is a key element in the drafting of the bill, as the use of AI is becoming more common in daily life and in both public and private sector operations.

He said the government is studying a comprehensive accountability approach covering the entire lifecycle of an AI system, from development to termination or decommissioning.

"… this is important because AI risk or failure does not occur at just one stage. A system originally safe can become risky when modified, deployed in a new context, connected to other systems, or used on a different user group than intended", he said.

The bill is being developed as a horizontal governance framework to complement existing laws, not to replace technology regulation or sector-specific jurisdictions, Gobind said. 

He said if an AI issue involves criminal offences, consumer protection, intellectual property, or specific sectoral jurisdictions, the existing relevant laws and agencies will continue to play their respective roles.

He added that the government does not intend to directly regulate the output or content generated by AI, but will focus on governance mechanisms to mitigate risks before they occur.

He said among the mechanisms being explored is AI incident reporting, which will enable authorities to assess risks, take follow-up actions, and identify risk patterns to prevent similar incidents from recurring.

The government is also considering implementing an AI regulatory sandbox to provide a controlled environment for developers, industry players, and relevant agencies to test and refine AI systems before wider deployment.

“The bill is being developed as a balanced legal framework to ensure that the development and adoption of AI in Malaysia can be carried out safely, responsibly, and reliably,” he said.

Gobind said the government will continue to refine the bill to protect the interests of the public, strengthen accountability throughout the AI lifecycle, and support innovation, research, technological development and national competitiveness in the digital economy.

-- BERNAMA