AI Regulation in Asia: Emerging Pathways, Divergent Models, and Global Implications
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AI Regulation in Asia: Emerging Pathways, Divergent Models, and Global Implications
Journal: Computer Law & Security Review
Publisher: Elsevier
Submission Deadline: 15 September 2026
Introduction
As artificial intelligence becomes a core infrastructure of global economic and social life, the centre of gravity in its governance is shifting. While the European Union has captured much attention with its regulatory experiments — most notably the EU AI Act — the future of AI's normative order will not be determined in Brussels alone. It will hinge increasingly on the diverse and rapidly evolving regulatory landscapes of Asia — the world's fastest-growing digital market, technological laboratory, and policy innovator.
From Tokyo to Seoul, Beijing to Singapore, Asian jurisdictions are testing alternative governance philosophies that balance innovation, security, ethics, and sovereignty in ways that challenge the foundations of Western regulatory models. Understanding AI regulation in Asia is therefore not a regional exercise but a global necessity — it offers insights into how multiple centres of regulatory gravity can coexist, compete, and possibly converge to shape the next phase of international AI governance.
Scope & Significance
The global regulatory landscape for AI is undergoing unprecedented transformation — yet a growing body of critical scholarship warns against overstating the "Brussels Effect" in this domain. The architecture of AI development — fragmented, modular, and service-based — allows companies to localise compliance and maintain divergent operational standards across markets.
Within this broader transformation, Asia represents a crucial yet underexamined frontier. The region's complex mosaic of legal systems, socio-economic contexts, and technological ecosystems has given rise to multiple and sometimes divergent regulatory trajectories:
Large and technologically advanced economies such as India, Japan, Singapore, and South Korea pursue pro-innovation strategies designed to foster AI development while shaping regional standards
China adopts a cautious yet assertive approach characterized by strong state direction, swift regulatory promulgation, and a balance between innovation and security
Smaller and emerging economies — including Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, Vietnam, and the Philippines — tend toward rule-taking strategies, adopting or adapting frameworks from neighbouring countries or global standards
Regional cooperation efforts such as the ASEAN Guide on AI Governance and Ethics mark important beginnings but stop short of establishing binding norms — revealing a region alive with experimentation and diverse governance models.
This Special Issue provides a site for critical and constructive debate on the evolving governance of AI across Asia — exploring how legal, policy, ethical, and technical dimensions of AI oversight interact within and beyond national borders.
List of Topic Areas
Manuscripts are invited on themes including, but not limited to:
AI regulation at national and regional levels across Asia
AI industrial policies and their interplay with regulatory frameworks
Regulatory harmonisation efforts and regional cooperation in Asia
The interplay between data protection and AI regulation in Asia
Country-specific analyses of AI governance with broader policy implications
Institutional aspects of AI governance — agencies, enforcement, and oversight mechanisms
Emergent compliance mechanisms and best practices in Asian AI governance
The enforcement of data protection laws in the realm of AI
Sector-specific AI governance — healthcare, finance, education, and public administration
The scope and limits of the Brussels Effect in Asia with reference to AI regulation
China's technology-specific governance measures and emergent AI model laws
ASEAN AI governance frameworks — progress, gaps, and future directions
Cross-jurisdictional convergence and divergence in AI regulatory design
The influence of supranational frameworks on Asian AI policymaking
Comparative studies of Asian and Western AI governance models
Ethical, cultural, and developmental dimensions of AI regulation in Asia
Guest Editors
Prof. Wenlong Li Research Professor, Zhejiang University, China
Dr. Zihao Li Associate Professor in Technology Law, University of Glasgow, UK
Key Deadlines
Manuscript Submission Opens: 9 January 2026
Manuscript Submission Deadline: 15 September 2026
Submission Guidelines
Full-length research articles should be 10,000–15,000 words — including footnotes and references — written in clear academic English and following the journal's house style.
Each submission must include:
An abstract of no more than 250 words
Up to seven keywords
An explicit consideration of AI-specific regulation or policymaking
Extended versions of previously published conference papers are acceptable — provided the manuscript includes substantial new content.
Submit via the journal's Editorial Manager submission system. When submitting, select Article Type:
"VSI: AI Regulation in Asia"
All manuscripts will undergo a double-blind peer review process — reviewed by at least two anonymous experts — in accordance with the journal's editorial policy.
All submissions must be original and must not be under consideration for publication elsewhere.
Methodological Approaches Welcome
The editors encourage methodologically diverse approaches including doctrinal, empirical (quantitative or qualitative), comparative, and theoretical research — as long as they contribute to a deeper understanding of regulatory design and implementation in Asian contexts. Interdisciplinary research combining legal analysis with empirical studies or comparative perspectives is particularly welcome.
About the Journal
Computer Law & Security Review, published by Elsevier, is a leading international peer-reviewed journal with a CiteScore of 6.6 and Impact Factor of 3.2. It supports open access publishing and is dedicated to advancing research at the intersection of law, technology, cybersecurity, and digital regulation — providing a global platform for scholars and practitioners exploring legal frameworks governing information technology, AI, data protection, and cybersecurity across diverse national and international contexts.
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