The 2025 Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit has produced a leaders’ joint declaration that carries heavy emphasis on the development of artificial intelligence.
The declaration included agreement on a five-year Artificial Intelligence Initiative with the aim of advancing “secure, accessible and reliable” AI across all APEC economies and to ensure the benefits of AI are spread across whole populations.
The initiative was a “joint step” toward successful transformation to AI across APEC, building AI capacities at all levels, including through regional cooperation, and fostering an investment ecosystem for resilient AI infrastructure, the declaration said.
While the APEC summit in South Korea hosted sessions on a usual mix of trade, finance and energy issues, the 2025 summit was characterised by the depth of its focus on technology issues, from AI to semiconductors to data centres and other cloud infrastructure.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese arrived back from the summit at the weekend and highlighted the urgency of action required to make sure the benefits of AI are accessible to all demographics.
“We need to make sure that countries don’t get left behind and that within countries people don’t get left behind by the pace of technological change,” Mr Albanese told reporters.
“We know that artificial intelligence will transform the way that work happens in Australia and indeed right around the world. It will transform the way that economic activity occurs,” he said.
Taking advantage of AI opportunities would need rules to safeguard human intellectual property and human participation, acknowledging the concerns of the creative sector and saying we “need to act with urgency”.
“We need to be clear about making sure that people are included in the transition; and with new technologies, inevitably there’s some disruption,” Mr Albanese said.
“We need to be very conscious about making sure that the take up and the benefit from new technology is inclusive,” he said
The Australia government is developing a National AI Capability Plan, which is expected to be made public by the end of the year.
The APEC leaders’ declaration outlined a strategic direction toward three overarching objectives:
- To foster resilient economic growth across and within APEC economies by advancing AI innovation and promoting secure, accessible and reliable AI ecosystems for all.
- To increase member economies’ meaningful participation in AI transformation through cooperation and capacity-building initiatives for the benefit of all.
- To encourage AI development and adoption by leveraging energy and efficient technologies and fostering resilient AI infrastructure investment.
“APEC economies, with their wide range of capabilities and perspectives, are uniquely positioned to harness the strategic potential of AI to drive resilient economic growth, foster technological advancement, improve the living standards of the population, and empower our people and businesses,” the declaration said.
“By adopting the APEC AI Initiative (the “Initiative”), APEC moves forward with a shared vision to empower economies and harness the transformative potential of AI as a catalyst for economic growth while addressing challenges in the rapidly evolving digital landscape.”
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