Taiwan’s strategic leap into AI: Enacting the AI Basic Act to foster innovation, governance
Taiwan’s strategic leap into AI: Enacting the AI Basic Act to foster innovation, governance
Publish Date: 2026-02-05 09:48:00
Source Domain: iapp.org
- Taiwan enacts the AI Basic Act, a landmark legislation establishing the foundational stance on artificial intelligence (AI) to guide future policies and regulations.
- The act aligns with international standards, defining AI and adopting a regulatory approach similar to the EU AI Act to facilitate global cooperation and market integration.
- The National Science and Technology Council and the Ministry of Digital Affairs will lead the implementation and governance of AI, focusing on risk assessment, policy promotion, and regulatory compliance.
- The AI Basic Act articulates seven core principles for AI governance: sustainable development, human autonomy, privacy protection, cybersecurity, transparency, fairness, and accountability.
- Private enterprises must manage high-risk AI systems, alerting users to potential risks, with the classification of high-risk status determined by multistakeholder consultations.
- The Ministry of Digital Affairs will promote an internationally interoperable AI risk management framework and assist various government agencies in developing sector-specific AI management guidelines.
- Strict regulations and prohibitions are outlined for AI applications that infringe on rights, disrupt social order, or engage in discrimination, fraud, or misinformation.
- The act supports an open data framework to enhance the availability and quality of AI training data, while ensuring personal data protection and data minimization in AI development.
- The government commits to increased funding for AI research, developing a regulatory sandbox, and fostering AI education and talent cultivation to protect labor rights amidst AI-driven transformations.
- Taiwan has two years to align existing laws and enact new legislation to comply with the AI Basic Act’s principles, urging private firms to proactively develop internal AI governance frameworks and stay informed of regulatory changes.
