Renowned Bruneian King’s Counsel and arbitrator Professor Dr Colin Ong KC delivered a talk on artificial intelligence (AI) in law-making and law implementation at the ASEAN Law Forum in Hanoi on August 18.
The two-day Forum, held on August 18 and 19, brought together Law Ministers and senior government law officials from the 11 ASEAN member states, including Brunei Darussalam.
The Forum was opened by Vietnam’s Deputy Prime Minister Le Tien Chau, and attended by ambassadors of ASEAN member states, representatives of the ASEAN Secretariat, the Economic Research Institute for ASEAN and East Asia, and officials from the European Union.
A Special Address was delivered by Mildred Bernadette Alvor, Undersecretary of Justice of the Republic of the Philippines, followed by opening remarks from Vietnam’s Minister of Justice Hoang Thanh Tung.
The Forum focused on the application of AI across the legal sector, including law-making, legal development, digitalisation, legal and policy frameworks, law implementation, and the use of AI in court proceedings and international arbitration.
Dr Ong was one of three private practitioners invited to speak at the Forum.
Drawing on his experience as an international arbitrator and lead counsel in more than 450 international disputes, Dr Ong shared his views on the encroachment, use and potential abuse of AI in international arbitration, including its advantages and disadvantages.
His panel was jointly headed by the Ministries of Justice of Japan and Vietnam and led by Nguyen Thanh Tinh, Vice Minister of Justice of Vietnam.
Dr Ong also highlighted his work as lead counsel for Vietnamese state-owned PetroVietnam in a landmark arbitration-related case which was ranked by Global Arbitration Review as one of the world’s most important arbitration decisions of 2025.
The case, heard by the Singapore Court of Appeal, was among the largest quantum cases before the court in 2025 and was reportedly the first reported court decision addressing the principles applicable when a court considers the remission of arbitral awards under the UNCITRAL Model Law.
Dr Ong also shared views on potential cooperation between Japan and ASEAN countries in advancing areas of mutual interest involving AI in the legal sector and cybersecurity.