2025 Presentation Materials | ASEAN-Korea Innovative Culture Forum

Keynote Speech

Kyogu Lee

Seoul National University / Supertone, Professor/CEO

Kyogu Lee earned a BS in Electrical Engineering from Seoul National University (1996), an MM in Music Technology from New York University (2002), and both an MS in Electrical Engineering (2007) and a PhD in Computer Music and Acoustics (2008) from Stanford University.

He began his professional career as a Senior Research Scientist at Gracenote’s Media Technology Lab (2007–2009) before joining Seoul National University in 2009. At SNU, he serves as a professor in the Department of Intelligence and Information and leads both the Music and Audio Research Group and the X+AI Research Division at the SNU AI Institute, conducting cutting-edge research on machine learning and audio-signal processing for speech and music.

Building on his extensive academic and technical expertise, Professor Lee founded Supertone in March 2020—an AI-powered audio solutions company for creators—where he serves as CEO. Recognized globally for his contributions to the field, he was named the only Korean honoree on the TIME100 AI list in 2024.

Beyond Words: How Voice AI is Reshaping the Future of Content and Communication

Voice AI is emerging as a technology that can preserve the emotion, tone, and individuality of the human voice while transforming large-scale content production and global communication. Supertone’s voice synthesis technology enables the precise separation and recombination of vocal characteristics, pitch, and linguistic elements, making it possible to produce high-quality multilingual dubbing and creative content with minimal effort. This allows for natural localization across language barriers and more immersive interactive experiences, helping creators and businesses connect with a broader global audience. Ultimately, Voice AI is reshaping not only how content is produced, but also the way stories are told and communication takes place, making them more human and conversational while expanding the possibilities of the creative ecosystem.

Session 1: Practicing Cultural Diversity in the AI Era

Aras Darmawan

Aras Design & Motion, Founder, Creative Director

Aras Darmawan is an award-winning creative director and designer with more than 15 years of experience in motion graphics, animation, and visual effects (VFX). After spending years refining his craft in Amsterdam and New York, he returned to Indonesia to establish his own studio, Aras Design & Motion. Building on his extensive international experience, he currently leads the company as founder, aiming to produce extraordinary output across CGI, advertising, and the entertainment industry.

AI Creative Revolution

While AI is transforming the creative industries, it cannot replace human emotion and empathy. Ultimately, the role of defining direction and creating meaning remains with people.

Patrick Cabral

PaperWolf Graphic Design Studio, Founder

Patrick Cabral is an artist and designer who develops tools to amplify Filipino culture through both tradition and technology. Renowned for elevating paper cutting from a craft into a fine art, his work reinterprets traditional patterns, architecture, and natural forms, seamlessly weaving heritage into contemporary practice.

Building on this artistic foundation, he now explores how artificial intelligence can serve as a new medium for cultural expression. By bridging the past and the future, his practice seeks to honor cultural heritage while expanding the possibilities of digital artistry in the modern era.

From A, I to A, We- Rethinking AI Through Art and Community

Digital tools and AI serve as supportive resources in the creative process, enhancing efficiency while leaving the meaning, emotion, and direction of a work to be shaped by human creativity and judgment. While machines can create tools, the final act of creating artistic resonance remains a uniquely human endeavor. The presentation explores how creative value and emotional impact can extend beyond individual creation toward a collective sense of “WE,” opening up new possibilities for creativity rooted in community.

Ian Jeon

Compound Collective, CEO

Ian Jeon is the Founder and Director of Compound Collective, a hybrid creative production studio specializing in refined audiovisual storytelling across advertising, music videos, and AI-driven projects. He also collaborates internationally with CHEV (Amsterdam) and BaliProd (Bali) to craft new visual narratives.

Over the years, his work has earned broad international acclaim, receiving the iF Design Award Gold, Berlin Music Video Awards - Silver Screenings (2024/2025), and distinctions from the New York Festivals, alongside additional recognition from the Red Dot Design Award and IDEA. Building on this rich background in visual production, he has recently gained widespread recognition for his award-winning AI projects, earning honors at the YouTube Works Awards, the 2025 A' Design Award (Silver Prize), and the Korea Digital Advertising Awards.

Cultural Diversity and Generative AI: Case Study of AI Point of View (Seoul & Korea)

Focusing on cultural diversity in AI-driven video and design, the presentation explores the convergence of tradition and modernity, as well as Eastern and Western aesthetics, through a range of projects, including Seoul, the ASICS Bangkok pop-up, the Porsche project, and Pearls in My Dream. It demonstrates how AI can be used in the creative process as a tool for expanding ideas and realizing visual concepts, while exploring the intersection of traditional aesthetics and contemporary branding. At the same time, it addresses the limitations of AI in fully capturing cultural context and emotional depth, highlighting the need to consider authenticity and responsibility in the future of cultural expression.

Session 1 Discussion Highlights

Moderator

Sayumphu Ros

AI Forum Cambodia, Secretary-General

Sayumphu Ros holds an M.A. in Security, Conflict, and Development from the University of Leicester and an LL.M. in International Law from the University of Sussex. Integrating global legal perspectives with emerging technological trends, he has dedicated his career to advancing national interests and innovation policy.

Building on his solid background in international law and security, he currently serves as the Secretary General and Research Fellow of the AI Forum Cambodia—a platform dedicated to fostering interdisciplinary dialogue and collaboration on the development of responsible and human-centered artificial intelligence. In this role, he leads initiatives connecting government, academia, and industry to strengthen Cambodia’s AI ecosystem, promote policy research, and support ethical innovation aligned with the country’s Science, Technology, and Innovation (STI) Roadmap 2030.

Through his leadership at the AI Forum and various research fellowships, Sayumphu continues to play a pivotal role in shaping Cambodia’s AI and digital transformation agenda, while seamlessly bridging cultural heritage, ethics, and technological progress.

Moderator: Sayumphu Ros Panelists: Aras Darmawan, Patrick Cabral, Ian Jeon

Q1. When using AI in creative work, how can creators increase speed and efficiency while preserving the original creator’s intent and cultural authenticity? - Aras Darmawan: “Human imagination can be expanded through the use of AI. However, we need to collaborate with AI based on a thorough understanding of the fields we work in, including design and tradition. This means providing AI with the right information and context, and continuously checking whether the results it generates are accurate and meaningful.”

Q2. When technologies such as AI transform traditional practices, how can we ensure that they strengthen and support artisans rather than replace them? - Patrick Cabral: “AI can reduce the time required for the creative process. This allows creators to focus more on the creative aspects of their work, such as ideas and insights, ultimately enabling them to better express their own perspectives and capabilities.”

Q3. Many young creators today are experimenting with AI in a variety of ways. What advice would you give them? - Ian Jeon: “I believe creators sometimes need to step away from the screen, experience nature, and engage directly with life. AI is ultimately a tool, so before learning how to use it, I think it is important to first see and experience the world in order to develop creative insights.”

Session 2: Shifts in the Arts and Culture Industries in the AI Era

Ryan Ho

National Gallery Singapore, Director

Ryan heads up futures-thinking, innovation and experience design at the National Gallery Singapore. With over a decade of work in the space of designed-futures and transformation, he has directed, designed and delivered creative innovation for major agencies, brands and start-ups across Hong Kong, London and Singapore. His projects span across industries from retail, hospitality, travel, emergency-services, personal finance and science-fiction. Outside of this, he also teaches new creative problem-solvers across Singapore’s local institutes.

Evolving museums for a Digital World

As the expansion of AI reshapes the creative environment, the focus of cultural policy should shift from promoting creativity toward restoring audiences’ attention, trust, and emotional connection. Moving beyond the limitations of cultural institutions centered on collection and authentication, public institutions should evolve into civic platforms that provide spaces for social trust, reflection, and dialogue. AI should be used not simply as a technology, but as a tool to enhance human experience and empathy, while exhibitions, educational programs, and participatory services can further expand the audience experience.

Antonia Kim

AITONIA, CEO

Antonia Kim began her career as a lead producer at KBS, gaining extensive experience in broadcast production. Blending this professional background with cutting-edge artificial intelligence, she built workflows where AI serves as a creative partner. Building on these innovations, she established the independent production company AITONIA and became an internationally recognised AI film director known for redefining cinematic storytelling.

Her award-winning films, CHOON and The Day I Saved a Fish, each won ten prizes at major festivals worldwide, while her latest film, LUNA, has been invited to screenings in 43 countries. Through her AI-류 (AI-ryu) model, she is expanding her creative practice across film, advertising, music, and animation, pioneering a new era of human-AI collaborative storytelling.

Directing Tomorrow

As AI technology significantly reduces the physical constraints of the creative process, creators are gaining greater opportunities to experiment with diverse forms of expression. The international awards and festival selections received by AI-based films such as *CHOON* and *The Day We Saved the Fish* demonstrate how the integration of AI into storytelling and production can expand the scope and accessibility of creative work. These developments show that high-quality filmmaking can be achieved with fewer constraints on physical production resources and personnel, suggesting that AI-based collaborative models have the potential to transform how cultural content is created and shared.

Trung Bảo Nguyễn

Fustic.Studio, Co-founder & Creative Director

Trung Bao is a multidisciplinary artist, creative director, and co-founder of Fustic.Studio and the Voice Gems project. His work explores the human voice as both an ancient tool and a frontier for innovation, seamlessly merging art, technology, and culture.

Co-creating Voice Gems, he developed a generative system that transforms human voices into digital gemstones and physical sculptures—pioneering a new form of vocal preservation that archives rare voices, ranging from AI-generated speech to endangered species. The project has earned international acclaim and has been exhibited at prestigious venues including Art Basel, König Galerie, and the Victoria & Albert Museum.

As Creative Director of Fustic.Studio, he has led landmark projects globally, including Messages of Hope at the World Economic Forum in Davos, the opening performance for TIME100 AI, and Re.imagine—Vietnam’s first classical concert with real-time generative visuals, which opened the UN AI for Good Summit in Geneva in 2024.

Recognized as one of Forbes Vietnam’s 30 Under 30 and included in the Dazed Asia 100, he continues to blend technology and culture to shape sustainable creative futures.

Voice, creative tech and sustainable culture

Through the Voice Gem project, the presentation explores how beatboxing and voice-based interactive technologies can expand immersive experiences between creators and audiences. From the perspective of sustainable culture, it also examines how the convergence of technology and art can have a positive impact on local and global cultural ecosystems, broaden creative environments and accessibility, and create connections between tradition and contemporary experimentation. The presentation focuses on how the combination of voice and creative technologies can enhance human experiences and contribute to cultural sustainability.

Session 2 Discussion Highlights

Moderator

Jonathan Gander

Lasalle College of the Arts, University of the Arts Singapore, Head of School of Creative Industries

Dr. Jonathan Gander is an established academic with over 25 years of experience in research, teaching, and management. Throughout his career, he has served at prestigious institutions including the University of Westminster, London; the University of East Anglia; the University of the Arts, London; and the Kingston School of Art. He has also held visiting professorships at universities in Moscow, Seville, Stockholm, and Shanghai.

Building on his extensive academic and leadership expertise, he currently serves as an Associate Professor and Head of the School of Creative Industries at LASALLE College of the Arts, University of the Arts Singapore. Specializing in strategy and innovation within the creative industries, he widely publishes work on business model innovation and is currently authoring the second edition of his textbook, Strategic Management in the Creative and Cultural Industries, published by Routledge.

Moderator: Jonathan Gander Panelists: Ryan Ho, Antonia Kim, Trung Bảo Nguyễn

Q1. How would you describe the changes you are experiencing in the creative industries and creative environments in the age of AI?

Antonia Kim: “I work with 13 AI chatbots, each of which is also a persona representing me. When collaborating with people, certain procedures or physical circumstances are often required, but advances in AI technology have created new forms of collaboration. As I mentioned earlier, this could also make it easier for more creators to enter the industry.”

Ryan Ho: “The Gale AI Museum Guide project is not simply about generating content with AI; it aims to create dialogue and emotional connections between visitors and artworks. It is designed to make art more accessible to younger audiences and non-specialist visitors, naturally incorporating their language, humor, and even slang. At the same time, AI-driven projects require significant investment in their development, implementation, and maintenance. This also makes collaboration with a wide range of experts and financial partners essential.”

Trung Bảo Nguyễn: “Through the Voice Gem project, we mapped and extracted metadata from voice and color, and transformed the resulting data into various forms of gemstones. This demonstrates the potential to preserve and share emotions and memories by transforming the intangible experience of an individual’s voice into a tangible, portable object. It also shows how technology-driven creative practices can reduce the physical constraints of creative works while enhancing the mobility and scalability of cultural messages.”

Session 3: AI and the Future of Cultural Heritage

Mohammad Abdoh Damit

Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sports of Brunei, Director

Mohammad Abdoh Damit is an innovator and educator who leads cultural heritage preservation and digital transformation initiatives in Brunei Darussalam. He founded the StudySmartable Learning Centre, a pioneering hub for robotics and innovation education designed to nurture future-ready skills among youth. Blending technology, creativity, and tradition, he also spearheaded the Cagan-Dagas project—an eco-friendly utensil inspired by Brunei’s rich cultural heritage that earned widespread recognition at the CIPTA 2025 Awards. Through his multifaceted work, Abdoh continues to modernize cultural conservation and promote innovative arts and STEAM education across the region.

Coding Culture

The presentation explores pathways toward cultural sustainability from a cultural sociological perspective and through Brunei’s national philosophy of Melayu Islam Beraja (MIB). Rooted in the country’s history, MIB is presented as a cultural reference point that centers on faith, monarchy, and tradition, providing a foundation for national identity and values amid social change. The presentation emphasizes that technology has always played a role in shaping culture, while noting that in the age of AI and ICT, technology is redefining how culture is interpreted, preserved, and recreated. In connection with Brunei’s national cultural policies and the vision of a “Zikir Nation,” it highlights education and digital literacy as key to maintaining cultural continuity. It concludes that balancing the adoption of technology with the preservation of cultural values can help reconcile tradition and modernization and support the sustainability of cultural heritage in the future.

Wai Yar Aung

Myanmar Earthquake Committee, Section Head

Wai Yar Aung is a structural engineer from Myanmar specializing in earthquake safety and cultural heritage conservation. As a member of the Myanmar Earthquake Committee, he has led numerous post-earthquake building assessments to ensure community safety.

His expertise spans structural design, retrofitting, and the protection of historic pagodas and monasteries. In addition to his field and restoration work, he actively trains young engineers and local communities in disaster preparedness. Building on his background in engineering and conservation, he is keenly interested in leveraging new technologies, such as AI and digital tools, to preserve culture and traditions for future generations.

Protecting cultural heritage with technology

Cultural heritage is a shared legacy and collective memory, while also carrying histories of disaster, loss, and recovery. As earthquakes and natural disasters cause severe damage to cultural heritage, AI technology offers new possibilities for restoration and sustainability. Through AI-based 3D reconstruction, predictive modeling, and digital archiving, damaged heritage can be virtually restored, documented, and re-experienced, helping communities not only remember what has been lost but also preserve their identity and cultural significance over time.

Tara Gujadhur

Traditional Arts and Ethnology Centre, Co-Director

Tara Gujadhur earned a BA in Anthropology from Vassar College and an MSc in Sustainable Tourism from SOAS, University of London. Over the past 25 years, she has built extensive global experience in cultural heritage management and tourism development across China, Southeast Asia, and Southern Africa. She began her career in sustainable tourism, advising the Lao government and working closely with indigenous communities including the Khasi in India and the San in Botswana.

Building on this background, in 2006 she co-founded the Traditional Arts and Ethnology Centre (TAEC) in Luang Prabang, Laos—a museum and social enterprise dedicated to cultural diversity and artisan livelihoods—where she serves as Co-Director. In this role, she has spearheaded TAEC’s research, exhibitions, and strategic development, with a recent focus on advocating for local communities’ intellectual property rights over their traditional cultural expressions. Additionally, she actively contributes to global heritage preservation as part of UNESCO’s network of Intangible Cultural Heritage (ICH) Facilitators.

Patterns of Power: Traditional Designs, Intellectual Property and AI

Traditional designs are a key repository of cultural identity and knowledge, yet globalization and the spread of AI are intensifying cultural appropriation and inequality affecting minority communities. While AI offers opportunities for documentation, preservation, and greater accessibility, it also carries risks of large-scale unauthorized use, loss of cultural context, and cultural erasure. In response, the presentation calls for inclusive frameworks and collaborative approaches that recognize communities as equal creative partners and ensure consent, benefit-sharing, and data sovereignty.

Session 3 Discussion Highlights

Moderator

Jong Wook Lee

Korea National University of Heritage, Associate Professor

Jongwook Lee earned his Ph.D. from KAIST, specializing in VR-based heritage management. Building on this solid academic foundation, he has established himself as an expert in the field of digital heritage.

Currently, he serves as an Associate Professor at the Korea National University of Cultural Heritage (KNUCH). In this role, he actively contributes to major national and international heritage organizations, including ICOMOS, ICOM, UNESCO centers, and the Korea Heritage Service, with a research focus on AI, digital archives, and museum innovation.

Moderator: Jong Wook Lee Panelists: Mohammad Abdoh Damit, Wai Yar Aung, Tara Gujadhur

Q1. How can we strike a balance between “openness” and “protection” within the creative ecosystem of the AI era while safeguarding traditional designs and cultural heritage?

Tara Gujadhur: “Traditional designs are powerful carriers of cultural identity and knowledge. However, in today’s globalized and digital environment, minority communities, including local and Indigenous communities such as the Oma community in Laos, face threats including cultural appropriation, inadequate legal protection, and the spread of AI-powered design tools. As discussed earlier, I believe it is urgent to establish inclusive institutions and collaborative frameworks to address these challenges.”

Mohammad Abdoh Damit: “In countries such as Brunei, many people still lack access to information altogether. While protecting information is important, improving access to information should also be pursued. I believe the balance between openness and protection lies neither in unrestricted openness nor in complete restriction, but in conditional openness based on the consent and rights of communities. Sustainable openness becomes possible when traditional culture can circulate freely while ensuring that its sources are properly acknowledged, its meaning is not distorted, and tangible benefits are returned to the communities.”

Wai Yar Aung: “One of the biggest challenges we encountered in the digitization and digital restoration of tangible cultural heritage was the lack of information about internal structures, such as architectural plans. This clearly demonstrated the importance of building systematic databases throughout the digitization process. In the AI era, cultural heritage preservation is not simply a matter of having the right technological equipment; it also depends on how much reliable information we can accumulate and organize. When comprehensive database

Session 4: AI Literacy for an Inclusive ASEAN Culture

Tan Awang Besar

Ministry of Tourism, Arts, and Culture of Malaysia, Rector

Prof. Dr. Tan Awang Besar was born in 1968 in Kampung Mata Ayer, Pulai Chondong, Kelantan. He earned an MA in International Relations from Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM) in 2004 and a PhD in Human Communication from Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM) in 2013.

Beginning his public service career in 1995, he has dedicated over 30 years to public administration. His previous roles include service at the Ministry of Education (2004–2007), the Public Service Commission (2008–2012), INTAN (Dec 2012–Sept 2013), and the Ministry of Human Resources as Undersecretary for International Affairs (2013–2017). Returning to the Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture (MOTAC) in September 2017, he served in key leadership positions as Undersecretary for Tourism Policy & International Affairs and Undersecretary for Cultural Policy, accumulating 13 years of expertise in tourism and 7 years in cultural policy.

Building on his extensive administrative background and academic contributions as a published author, speaker, and moderator, he has served as the Rector of ASWARA (National Academy of Arts, Culture and Heritage, Malaysia) since July 1, 2024.

Literacy for the AI era in cultural sector

The presentation redefines the concept of “literacy” for the AI era within the cultural sector and proposes the pillars of inclusive literacy and Cultural Intelligence needed to put this vision into practice. It also proposes a charter for an ethical and shared cultural future, emphasizing that technology should serve as a tool to support humanity rather than replace it. Ultimately, it calls for collectively building an innovative future in which technology and culture coexist in harmony for generations to come.

Jonathan Tan Ghee Tiong

The ASEAN Secretariat, Head of the Culture and Information Division

Jonathan Tan graduated from the School of English & American Studies at the University of Sussex and the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS) at the University of London. He began his professional career in the Singapore public sector, serving in key institutions including the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA), as well as working at the Körber Foundation in Berlin, Germany.

Building on his extensive background in public service and international affairs, he currently serves as the Head of the Culture and Information Division under the Sustainable Development Directorate within the ASEAN Socio-Cultural Community Department at the ASEAN Secretariat in Jakarta. In this role, he leads and supports regional cooperation across the arts, culture, information, and media sectors.

Shaping the Future of Cultural and Creative Economy

AI is a dual-edged technology that expands human potential while also posing existential threats. It should therefore serve not as a technology that replaces humans, but as a tool that expands human creativity and experience. In fact, many artists across ASEAN continue to view creative practice as fundamentally human and analog despite technological advances, and are carefully considering the role AI should play within it.

In this context, the direction we should pursue can be framed around three key pillars. First, Human-Centred Creativity, which places human emotion and imagination at the heart of the creative process. Second, AI Literacy for Creatives, which helps creators understand and use AI responsibly. Third, AI-Responsive Policies for the Cultural & Creative Economy, which support the broader cultural and creative industries based on ethics and inclusion. Ultimately, the future we should strive for is not one in which technology dominates humanity, but one in which technology further expands human creativity and culture.

Hazremi Hamid

The ASEAN Secretariat, Senior Officer of Digital Economy Division

Hazremi Hamid earned a BSc in Information Technology from Multimedia University and a Master of Public Policy from the University of Bath, and is a certified PRINCE2® Practitioner. Throughout his career, he has held senior roles across both the private and public sectors, including positions at ASTRO, Panasonic R&D, Malaysia’s Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation (MOSTI), and the Malaysian Administrative Modernisation and Management Planning Unit (MAMPU) under the Prime Minister’s Department.

Building on this extensive background in technology and public policy, he currently serves as the Senior Officer for Digital Economy at the ASEAN Secretariat in Jakarta. In this role, he leads initiatives under the ASEAN Digital Masterplan 2025 and provides strategic policy guidance on the ASEAN Digital Economy Framework Agreement (DEFA) and the AI Governance and Ethics Framework. His portfolio covers digital infrastructure, cross-border data flows, AI governance, and regional digital cooperation. He is a frequent speaker on AI governance and actively advocates for sustainable digital transformation across ASEAN.

Building Trust in AI

ASEAN has identified the need to establish common regional governance standards and policy guidelines for the responsible and ethical use of AI, while individual countries are expanding AI applications across various sectors, including industry, public services, healthcare, and education, through their national AI strategies. Singapore has institutionalized accountability and transparency by developing the world’s first AI governance testing framework, A.I. Verify, along with ethical guidelines, while countries such as Vietnam and Thailand are pursuing national strategies encompassing data infrastructure, talent development, industrial applications, and ethical and regulatory frameworks. At the same time, the expansion of AI brings ethical and social risks, including impacts on the labor market, bias and fairness, transparency, and data privacy. This has underscored the need for regional cooperation and standardization that extends beyond country-specific policies, which vary significantly in their levels of regulation and enforcement. The ASEAN Digital Economy Framework Agreement (DEFA), currently under development, is expected to provide an institutional foundation for greater policy integration across the region.

Piti Srisangnam

ASEAN Foundation, Executive Director

Dr. Piti Srisangnam holds an MA in International Economics and Finance from Chulalongkorn University and a Ph.D. in Economics and Commerce from the University of Melbourne. Since 2002, he has taught International Economics and ASEAN Studies at Chulalongkorn University, where he also served as Deputy Director of the Centre for European Studies (2010–2012) and Deputy Director of the ASEAN Studies Centre (2012) before being appointed as its Director in 2013.

In recognition of his academic and professional achievements, he was honored with the Rising Star Award from the Royal Thai Government Scholarships Association in 2019 and received the Dongfang Scholarship as a Visiting Scholar at Peking University in 2021. His primary research focuses on Southeast Asian economic development, ASEAN economic integration, and SME development.

Leveraging his deep expertise in regional affairs, he actively engages in public outreach as the host of four radio programs dedicated to ASEAN current affairs.

From Awareness to Empowerment

AI literacy is not simply about whether people can use AI; it also involves understanding how AI is used and the responsibilities that come with it. In ASEAN, AI literacy is also a matter of inclusion, as the data-driven nature of AI can lead to information bias. In this context, the ASEAN Foundation connects technology, education, and culture to ensure that ASEAN citizens are not left behind in the digital transformation, with the responsible expansion of AI literacy and capacity building as key priorities. Through the AI Ready ASEAN and MSME AI programs, the Foundation strengthens the digital capabilities and competitiveness of citizens and micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises through practical education, localized support, and policy linkages. It is important to recognize that AI is not a technology that replaces humans, but a tool that expands human potential, underscoring the importance of Korea–ASEAN cooperation centered on ethics and responsibility.

Session 4 Discussion Highlights

Moderator

Kathleen Ditzig

National Gallery Singapore, Curator

Kathleen Ditzig is a Singaporean researcher and curator. Her curatorial practice has involved the development of artist residencies, ducational programmes, publications and exhibitions. She recently completed a PhD on an exhibitionary history of Southeast Asia during the Cultural Cold War. Her recent exhibitionary and research projects include Afro-Southeast Asia Affinities (developed with Carlos Quijon Jr.) 2021-2022) and Art Histories of a Forever War: Modernism Between Space and Home (co-curated with Fang Tze Hsu) (2022). She currently works for the National Gallery Singapore, where she researches art histories of technology from a Southeast Asian perspective.

Moderator: Kathleen Dizig Panelists: Tan Wang Besar, Jonathan Tan Ghee Tiong, Hazremi Hamid, Piti Srisangnam

Q1. What are the real drivers behind the urgent need to build AI literacy in Southeast Asia, and why is this issue so important now?

Tan Wang Besar: “If we do not properly understand AI, we risk falling behind not only in the cultural sector but across a wide range of fields. AI literacy is not simply a technological issue; it is an urgent challenge directly linked to our future competitiveness.”

Piti Srisangnam: “AI literacy is closely connected to cultural literacy, particularly the protection of diversity, which is especially important in ASEAN, where significant geographical and sociocultural differences coexist. For example, the ASEAN Foundation’s AI Ready ASEAN project did not simply adopt the AI literacy training program developed by Google as it was. Instead, the program was adapted to the diverse sociocultural environments and physical conditions across the 11 ASEAN countries, including areas with limited internet access, and translated into local languages. Building AI literacy in ASEAN therefore means more than simply introducing technology. It means addressing these geographical and physical barriers and enabling everyone to participate inclusively in the AI era within their own circumstances.”

Hazremi Hamid: “The potential of AI and its applications, particularly their connection to economic growth and GDP in the ASEAN region, had already been discussed before the pandemic. However, the pandemic made the need for digital transformation tangible around the world, accelerating and deepening these discussions. The important question now is what role we can play in the AI era, what our strengths are, and where our weaknesses lie. Building on this understanding and developing strategies together with the 11 ASEAN countries can be seen as a key task moving forward.”

Jonathan Tan Ghee Tiong: “In the AI era, the dissemination of content goes beyond simply making information widely available. It also requires us to understand how we are being consumed and how we become part of systems of monetization amid an endless flow of generated content. AI literacy is therefore essential not only for understanding the technology, but also for recognizing where we stand in this vast sea of content and what is being converted into economic value in the process.”