AI regulation in Myanmar (2026)

The State Administration Council's Ministry of Science and Technology convened its fourth coordination meeting in Nay Pyi Taw in February 2025 to continue drafting the National AI Strategy (NAS) and National AI Policy (NAP). Neither document had been formally adopted as of early 2026. Goals include integrating AI into development sectors, building human resources, and establishing ethics standards.

Cybersecurity Law No. 1/2025, enacted 1 January 2025 by the State Administration Council, is the closest in-force digital governance instrument. It mandates local registration and data retention for digital platforms with 100,000+ users, bans unauthorised VPNs, and requires data disclosure to authorities on demand — creating a legal backbone for state-directed surveillance of AI-driven platforms.

Myanmar has no enacted personal data protection legislation. The junta suspended warrant requirements under the Law Protecting Privacy and Security of Citizens (2017) following the February 2021 coup, removing judicial checks on digital surveillance and leaving individuals without statutory data rights relevant to AI profiling or automated decision-making.

Rather than regulating AI to protect rights, the junta has weaponised AI-enabled tools: the Person Scrutinization and Monitoring System (PSMS) integrates Chinese-supplied facial recognition cameras (Dahua, Huawei, Hikvision) with a national biometric database of over 52 million records. The PSMS reportedly flagged at least 1,657 individuals for arrest between March and May 2025.

Prior to the ASEAN Guide on AI Governance and Ethics (February 2024), Myanmar was among four ASEAN members with no AI policy at all. Regional analysts and the ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute assessed Myanmar as one of the region's least AI-ready countries, constrained by weak digital infrastructure, internet censorship, and the absence of AI-specific rules.

Existing laws (Telecommunications Law, Cybersecurity Law 2025) address AI only incidentally. Human rights organisations and legal analysts note that the regulatory vacuum means there are no enforceable rules on AI transparency, algorithmic accountability, or prohibited AI uses for private or state actors operating in Myanmar.