Opportunities and challenges of critical technology standards in the Asia Pacific

The development and use of critical technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI), quantum computing, and cloud computing are increasingly a focus of government policy, R&D budgets, and investment. This reflects the critical role of technology in relation to economic growth, competitiveness, jobs, and national security. Critical technologies are also central to the strategic competition between the West and China, given the importance of technology for developing and sustaining leading-edge economies and the dual-use potential of many critical technologies with implications for national security.

The significance of critical technologies has led governments, industries, and civil society organizations to pay growing attention to the development and use of critical technology standards (CTS). Standards shape the values that technologies embody while also shaping global markets and affect which technologies become market leaders. For instance, standards as to what is trustworthy and reliable AI will guide AI development globally.

The Critical Technology Standards Metric (CTSM), developed by Joshua Meltzer in Brookings Global Economy and Development program, assesses the capacity of seven countries in the Asia-Pacific region (Australia, Cambodia, Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, and Vietnam) to engage in the development and use of CTS and allows for cross-country comparison of CTS capacity.

On December 1, the Global Economy and Development program at Brookings hosted an online public event to discuss the CTSM and the opportunities and challenges of broadly developing critical technology standards in the Asia-Pacific region. The event featured a panel of experts from the public and private sectors, moderated by Brookings Senior Fellow Joshua Meltzer.

Viewers submitted questions via e-mail to events@brookings.edu or on Twitter using #CTSM.