As Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML) become increasingly embedded in everyday systems, concerns around data protection, privacy, and accountability are gaining urgency. A new 2024 report, ‘Beyond the Hype: Realising Responsible AI through Data Protection in South and Southeast Asia,’ examines how existing data protection laws in the region respond to the risks emerging from AI adoption. 
As Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML) become increasingly embedded in everyday systems, concerns around data protection, privacy, and accountability are gaining urgency. A new 2024 report, ‘Beyond the Hype: Realising Responsible AI through Data Protection in South and Southeast Asia,’ examines how existing data protection laws in the region respond to the risks emerging from AI adoption. 
LIRNEasia Data, Algorithms, and Policy (DAP) Team Lead and Research Manager Merl Chandana was featured in ‘The Morning’ newspaper on 28 December 2025, in an article by Nelie Munasinghe, where he underscored the urgency of moving from AI policy discussions to real-world implementation. “The perception that Sri Lanka has not yet widely adopted AI is inaccurate. While it may not be as visible as in other countries through large AI-focused companies, AI is already being integrated across sectors like health, retail, transport, finance, and e-commerce. The potential benefits and risks of this technology are already present. Viewing AI-related risks as a distant concern does not reflect our current reality. 
LIRNEasia CEO Helani Galpaya attended UNDP’s New Ways of Governing Conference in Oslo on 28–29 October 2025, contributing to discussions on AI and data governance. Her session drew on LIRNEasia’s research on data-governance policies across Asia and the organisation’s ongoing work on responsible AI. 
This report is part of the Data for Development project which aims, inter alia, to create and mobilize new knowledge about tensions, gaps, and the evolution of the data governance ecosystem taking into account formal and informal policies and practices. This regional synthesis report explores the intricate web of data governance systems and their potential to contribute to more democratic and inclusive societies. It examines the tensions that arise between various data-related policies, such as personal data protection, competition law, open data initiatives, cybersecurity measures, and AI and innovation strategies. While developed countries may have mechanisms to address these conflicts, many nations in South and Southeast Asia face significant hurdles in creating and implementing effective data governance frameworks. The report seeks to uncover the unique challenges faced by countries in the region, including opaque policy-making processes, limited stakeholder participation, and policies that may not always align with local contexts or implementation capacities. 
On July 22, LIRNEasia, in collaboration with the United States–Sri Lanka Fulbright Commission, hosted a thought-provoking Roundtable Dialogue on the Ethics of Explainable AI at its premises. The session featured Dr. Robert T. Pennock, University Distinguished Professor at Michigan State University, who is affiliated with Lyman Briggs College, the Departments of Philosophy and the Departments of Computer Science & Engineering, and the Ecology, Evolution, and Behavior program. With a PhD in the History and Philosophy of Science, Dr. 
The following document is a summary of an upcoming regional report for the Global Index on Responsible AI (GIRAI) that focuses on responsible Artificial Intelligence in the Asia region. The broader report, to be released in April 2025 as the final output of a Global Center on AI Governance (GCG)-funded project, was authored by Merl Chandana and Sukitha Bandaranayake from LIRNEasia, with the India case study written by Anushka Jain and Aarushi Gupta (of Digital Futures Lab, India). Part II was co-authored by Merl Chandana, Sukitha Bandaranayake, and Ana Florido. The report containing global findings of the Index can be found here.
Digital Futures Lab, in partnership with the Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung, recently published an edited volume on the ethics and governance of AI in Asia.