AI & Policy

This programme covers a range of topics designed to equip participants with both the conceptual grounding and practical skills needed to navigate the contemporary politics of AI. Content spans interdisciplinary academic perspectives on AI drawn from the social sciences and engineering, regulatory approaches, socio-political impact analysis, and stakeholder negotiation strategies. Delivered as a two-day on-campus workshop, participants will engage in conceptual sessions, case study analyses, and simulation exercises. No prior technical knowledge of AI is required.

Incentives available for groups and teams of four or more attending open enrollment programs

DOWNLOAD BROCHURE

This programme is designed for mid-to-senior level professionals who are confronted with AI-related decisions — whether in designing systems, advising on their use, regulating their impact, or advocating for affected communities. It is particularly suited to:
Government and public sector professionals at the director, policy, or programme level who are involved in deploying or regulating AI in public services, or who need to anticipate the societal consequences of AI-driven decisions.
Industry professionals — including those in legal, compliance, ESG, communications, product development, and corporate strategy functions — who must understand the political and reputational dimensions of AI adoption in their organisations.
Civil society and NGO practitioners at the programme or leadership level who are working with communities affected by AI systems, or who are engaged in advocacy for more equitable and accountable AI governance.
No prior technical or data science knowledge is required. The programme is designed to be immediately accessible to professionals from any disciplinary background.
By the end of this programme, you will be able to:
- Critically assess the socio-political dimensions of AI systems — understanding not just what AI does, but who shapes it, who benefits, and who bears the risks.
- Apply structured tools — including stakeholder mapping, forcefield analysis, and theories of change — to evaluate the impacts of specific AI deployments in your organisation or sector.
- Navigate multi-stakeholder settings with greater confidence, using principled negotiation strategies to find constructive AI policy solutions.
- Engage meaningfully in regulatory and governance discussions, informed by both international frameworks and Malaysia's own evolving AI policy architecture.
- Return to your organisation with a practical, transferable toolkit for assessing, advocating for, and shaping responsible AI adoption.
The programme is structured across five modules delivered over two days:
Module 1 — Social Science Approaches to Technology and Society An interactive introduction to the key conceptual frameworks used to analyse the political dimensions of AI: the social construction of technology, socio-technical imaginaries, and infrastructuring. Participants examine how these concepts apply to their own professional contexts and lived experiences.
Module 2 — Case Study: Identifying Socio-Political Impacts of AI Systems A hands-on practice session applying tools for stakeholder analysis and impact assessment — including stakeholder mapping, forcefield analysis, and positions/interests/fears frameworks — to a real-world AI deployment in the public sector. Participants move from analysis to developing constructive policy responses using theories of change and outcome mapping.
Module 3 — Engineering Basics of AI and Machine Learning A non-technical but practically grounded introduction to how AI systems are built and how they behave, giving participants the foundational literacy needed to engage credibly in AI governance discussions. Includes hands-on exercises with real datasets.
Module 4 — Multi-Stakeholder Negotiation Simulation The programme's capstone experience. Participants are assigned stakeholder roles — government, industry, civil society, and technical experts — and engage in a facilitated simulation of an AI policy negotiation, applying everything covered across the two days to reach a workable policy outcome.
Module 5 — Legal Perspectives: Regulatory Approaches to AI An interactive session on AI governance, accountability, and regulation, covering the challenges of regulating AI in enforcement and decision-making contexts, ethical AI development principles, and a comparative overview of international regulatory approaches including Malaysia's own governance framework.
Dr Emma Baulch Associate Professor of Media and Communications | Director, SEADS | School of Arts and Social Sciences, Monash University Malaysia
Dr Emma Baulch is an internationally recognised scholar of digital media, platform governance, and technology adoption in Southeast Asia. She serves as Director of the Southeast Asia Research Centre for Digital Technologies and Society (SEADS) and Deputy Head of School (Research) at Monash University Malaysia, and holds a PhD from Monash University Australia. Her research and publications span digital infrastructures, social media ecosystems, and the political economy of digital platforms across the region. She co-facilitates the programme's framing and simulation sessions. HRD Corp Trainer No: 20921
Dr Stefan Bächtold Lecturer, School of Arts and Social Sciences, Monash University Malaysia
Dr Stefan Bächtold holds a PhD in Political Science from the University of Basel (Switzerland) and researches the governance and politics of digital technologies in Southeast Asia, with an active project on AI and machine learning in Malaysia's public sector. He brings over a decade of practitioner experience advising governments, UN agencies, and civil society organisations on technology and policy in conflict and development contexts across Africa, Asia, Europe, and the Middle East. He leads the programme's conceptual, case study, and simulation modules.
Dr Joanne Lim Associate Professor, School of Engineering, Monash University Malaysia
Dr Joanne Lim holds a PhD in Engineering from Multimedia University and is a Professional Engineer with Practising Certificate (PEPC) registered with the Board of Engineers Malaysia. Her research spans artificial intelligence, machine learning, Internet of Things, and intelligent systems, with over 60 published research outputs and multiple active industry-funded AI projects. She leads the programme's engineering module, providing participants with a clear and practical grounding in how AI systems work.
Dr Chithra Latha Ramalingam Senior Lecturer, School of Business, Monash University Malaysia
Dr Chithra Latha holds a PhD from the University of Malaya and an LLM from Staffordshire University (UK), and specialises in AI governance, corporate law, and ESG. She has contributed directly to Malaysia's national AI policy as a working member of the National AI Office (NAIO)'s AI Governance and Ethics Group and as a contributor to three Malaysia AI Task Force working groups. A Certified Integrity Officer and GRI-certified ESG practitioner, she regularly trains senior leaders from GLCs, PLCs, and government agencies across Malaysia. She leads the programme's legal and regulatory module.

Session 2-1-1 Block

2026 Session

23-24 September 2026

START:: 23rd September at 9 a.m.
END:: 24th September at 5 p.m.
FORMAT:: In-person at Monash University, Bandar Sunway Campus, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

Education and Training Academy

Education and Training Academy

AI & Policy

AI & Policy

2026 Session

23-24 September 2026