AI Basic Act

AI Basic Law - Draft (All 14 legislators and TPP version)AI Basic Law - Draft (By JC KO and 37 legislators)Full Text of Agency Reports MODA Response Document (July 15, 2025)

Latest Update

The July 21 review was forced to postpone after MODA failed to deliver the promised ministry draft articles by July 15, instead providing only opinions on legislators' versions with 14 instances of "requires further consideration."

Timeline for Taiwan's Promotion and Legislative Debates on the AI Basic Law (2017–2025)

2025

July 21, 2025 [Review Forced to Postpone] MODA responded to the Legislature with an official document on July 14, but failed to provide the promised ministry draft articles, only offering "opinions" on legislators' versions. The document contained 14 instances of "requires further consideration" and 3 instances of "suggest waiting for Executive Yuan version before review." The scheduled review was forced to postpone. View MODA Response Document (opens in a new tab)
July 15, 2025 [MODA Deputy Minister's Inconsistent Statements] Despite MODA having sent the document to the Legislature at 3 PM on July 14, Deputy Minister Lin Yi-jing told media after a press conference on July 15 that it was "still being processed internally and not yet sent out." The MODA document contained no "ministry draft articles" whatsoever, only opinions on legislators' versions.
July 4, 2025 [National Affairs Forum] Legislator Ko pressed the Executive Yuan to submit the AI Basic Act on schedule, and announced that an attached resolution would require the Executive Yuan to complete a Child Impact Assessment within a specified timeframe after the Act passes its third reading.

AI development didn't start in recent years; as early as 2018, when Lai Ching-te was Premier, the "Taiwan AI Action Plan" was proposed. At the same time, Legislator Hsu Yu-jen in the 9th Legislative Yuan also proposed an AI Basic Law draft. Since AI technology has been discussed for years, why hasn't the government conducted a child and youth impact assessment in the past decade? I believe all 113 legislators, regardless of party, care deeply about children's rights. However, simply giving administrative agencies more time is irresponsible, condones administrative laziness, and undermines the Legislative Yuan's legislative authority. As long as the AI Basic Law isn't passed in third reading, children's rights remain unprotected.

Therefore, we have resolved to require MODA to submit its ministry version of the articles by July 15, and I will push for an attached resolution mandating a child impact assessment within a certain period after third reading.

National Affairs Forum Video:

Related Resources:

Legislative Gazette PDF Social Media Post
June 18, 2025 [NDC Chair Liu Jing-qing Questioned] The head of the "AI Top 10 Projects" initiative could not answer basic questions about the bill's progress, highlighting the administration's lack of coordination.

From "AI Cabinet," "Sovereign AI" to "AI New Top 10 Projects," policy details remain unseen, raising doubts about the government's true commitment.

The NDC-led "AI New Top 10 Projects" claims to drive NT$15 trillion in output and create 500,000 high-paying jobs, but when questioned on specifics, the Chair said details could only be provided "after Executive Yuan approval." The plan content, work allocation, and funding are undecided, showing inadequate preparation.

This endless waiting also applies to the AI Basic Law, still pending in the Executive Yuan. Shockingly, the NDC Chair mistakenly thought the draft was already in the Legislature, indicating no grasp of the process. Even more absurdly, NDC, responsible for AI projects, hasn't participated in bill reviews—how can it lead national AI policy?

NDC Interpellation Video:

Related Resources:

Social Media Post Social Media Short Clip Legislative Gazette
June 12, 2025 [Livestream Debrief] Legislator Ko livestreamed to expose the obstruction and called for swift passage.
June 11, 2025 [Committee Review Obstructed] DPP legislators argued that "AI evolves too quickly," nitpicked wording without offering amendments, and forced the meeting to adjourn. MODA promised to deliver its Executive Yuan draft to the Legislature by July 15.

Although there is cross-party consensus on "AI's rapid development," the DPP argues "due to its speed, we should continue observing international attitudes," and MODA has given no suggestions on existing versions.

DPP members repeatedly claim the current version lacks protections for women, diversity, disabled persons, indigenous peoples, rural areas, etc., but Articles 4 ("Freedom Protection"), 5 ("Digital Equality"), 6 ("Fraud Prevention"), and more already include general provisions, consistent with basic law principles. Nonetheless, DPP members use this as a pretext for "superficial discussion, actual obstruction."

DPP members themselves said in the meeting they "hope to let AI develop more" and "MODA should explain why no Executive draft after multiple discussions," but MODA hasn't opined on legislator versions or submitted its draft, becoming an excuse for DPP to block review. The MODA Minister cited international observation for delay, ignoring Taiwan's lack of legislation compared to mature systems in Europe and the US: Countries like the UK avoid over-regulation but are preparing comprehensive norms, not halting legislation.

Internationally, Korea, Japan, UK are actively laying out AI frameworks; if Taiwan continues to dither, it will miss opportunities and expose public rights to risks. Eight years of waiting shouldn't lead to more delays and empty words.

Committee Review Livestream:

Related Resources:

Ko's Social Media Post Legislative Gazette
May 14, 2025 [Committee Interpellation] The Executive Yuan's Feb 26 decision shifted competent authority from NSTC to MODA with only a 54-character note; NSTC Minister Wu admitted prior ignorance, and MODA has yet to convene any consultations mandated by the draft.

Interpellation Video:

Bill Introduction Video:

Related Resources:

Social Media Post
April 29, 2025 [Education Committee General Interpellation] Legislators questioned whether the initial "R&D-focused, regulation as support" approach would shift to a "regulation-oriented" one; raised concerns over the Ministry of Digital Affairs' capacity (as a third-tier agency) in terms of staff and budget; and criticized the opaque decision-making process, demanding the Executive Yuan clarify its decision-making transparency. Questions also addressed open data, sovereign AI, AI training databases, and energy policy (including nuclear power development).
April 23, 2025 [MODA Briefs the Media on Progress] MODA stated that, as instructed by the Executive Yuan on February 26, the draft is under MODA's leadership, now placing more emphasis on its regulatory role: "balancing the encouragement of innovation with regulation."
- CNA Report (opens in a new tab) Supplement: On April 23, MODA further explained that the draft would be responsive to the needs of Taiwan's industry and society, adhering to the core principles of "encouraging innovation while upholding human rights," and guiding government agencies to develop and promote AI applications. The draft is not a "regulatory law" per se, but rather sets out principles for AI development and policy integration. Detailed regulations (such as data management and AI risk classification) will be advanced later through subordinate legislation.
April 16, 2025 [Legislative Yuan Holds First Public Hearing on "AI Basic Law"] Most experts advocated that the competent authority should have horizontal coordination abilities (such as a special committee at the Executive Yuan level), accelerate legislation on sovereign AI and open data, and defend Taiwan's local language data and cultural sovereignty.
March 17, 2025 [NSTC Official Cheng-Wen Wu Questioned at Education and Culture Committee] He acknowledged that authority over the AI law had been transferred to MODA, saying, "NSTC will focus on AI research." The decision was made after inter-ministerial discussions at the Executive Yuan.
February 26, 2025 [Major Turning Point] The Executive Yuan, without a public resolution at its formal meeting, suddenly instructed that the "draft bill would be overseen by the Ministry of Digital Affairs (MODA)."
- Question: February 26 was not an official Executive Yuan meeting day, raising concerns about decision-making transparency.
- CNA Report (opens in a new tab) Supplement: According to a CNA report on April 23, 2025, MODA explained that the Executive Yuan formally instructed, on February 26, that MODA would be responsible for promoting legislation and providing further interpretation of the AI Basic Law draft. The draft is expected to be submitted to the Legislative Yuan for review after approval by the Executive Yuan. The draft was originally proposed by the National Science and Technology Council (NSTC) last year, made available for public comment from July 15 to September 13, 2024, and reviewed at an Executive Yuan meeting on November 22, 2024, with a request for revisions before resubmission.
February 6, 2025 [Executive Yuan Press Conference] The Executive Yuan Deputy Minister explained, "The draft of the AI Basic Law has been submitted for review by the Executive Yuan and will be revised promptly and submitted for legislative review before the next session."

2024

November 28, 2024 [Education Committee Interpellation] Legislators questioned whether the draft had been significantly revised by the Executive Yuan. NSTC responded that "the direction has not changed significantly, and at the latest, the draft will be submitted to the Legislative Yuan in the first session next year."
October 22, 2024 [Executive Review Submission] NSTC submitted the AI Basic Law draft to the Executive Yuan for review.
September 30, 2024 [Review Progress] The public comment period for the draft ended. Minister Wu Cheng-Wen stated in the legislature that regulatory review was complete, and the draft was expected to be sent to the Executive Yuan by the end of October, aiming for legislative review in the same session.
July 15, 2024 [Draft Announcement] NSTC officially released the draft of the AI Basic Law to the public and opened it for comment.
June 5, 2024 [First Consultation Meeting] NSTC convened a consultation meeting on the AI Basic Law draft, inviting industry and human rights groups, and emphasizing a balance between innovation and human rights.
May 23, 2024 [NSTC Minister Wu Cheng-Wen] responded in the Legislature: "The AI Basic Law will be launched this year, with an aim to submit it to the Executive Yuan before the end of October."
May 3, 2024 [NSTC] Wu Cheng-chung: "We expect to introduce the AI Basic Law by the end of the year."
March 19, 2024 [Plenary Interpellation] Wu Cheng-chung explicitly stated that the draft will follow the models of the US, Japan, and the UK, and will be proposed before year's end.
March 14, 2024 [Legislative Yuan] National Science and Technology Council (NSTC) Minister Wu Cheng-chung reported in the legislature that an "Executive Yuan version of the AI Basic Law draft" will be available by the end of the year, highlighting that Taiwan will adopt a US/Japan-style "guidance first, legislation later" approach to encourage innovation and monitor international developments.

2023

April 2023 [Executive Yuan Approval] The Executive Yuan approved the "Taiwan AI Action Plan 2.0 (2023-2026)," which emphasizes AI ethics and legislation. The plan aims to promote AI legal frameworks, establish AI product/system evaluation centers, and develop AI ethics guidelines that interface with international standards, continuing previous initiatives while strengthening Taiwan's AI industry development and governance framework.
March 2023 Newly inaugurated Legislator Ko Ju-Chun immediately questioned the progress of the "AI Basic Law." Then-Premier Chen Chien-jen and Minister without Portfolio Wu Cheng-chung both responded positively, emphasizing "optimism, technological policy continuity, following the US and Japan models, and encouraging R&D."

2019

May 15, 2019 [Legislator Hsu Yu-jen's Draft Bill] Legislative Yuan member Hsu Yu-jen and 21 other legislators drafted the "Artificial Intelligence Development Basic Law," drawing on the legal and policy experiences of AI-advanced countries including the United States, United Kingdom, and Japan, while integrating Taiwan's national conditions. The main content includes determining the position of artificial intelligence in national policy, establishing development guidelines, setting up competent authorities and special committees, government infrastructure, data and privacy protection, education budget, sandbox programs, development principles and ethics, aiming to respond to the global Industry 4.0 trend and promote national-level AI development strategy.

2018

January 18, 2018 [Executive Yuan Approval] The Executive Yuan approved the "Taiwan AI Action Plan" (2018-2021), initiated by then-Premier Lai Ching-te, with a planned annual investment of nearly NT$10 billion. The plan aims to strengthen Taiwan's existing advantages by combining talent, ICT and semiconductor industries, open fields and data, promoting four major strategies: "AI Talent Sprint," "AI Leading Promotion," "Building International AI Innovation Hub," and "Regulatory and Field Deregulation," to make Taiwan an AI innovation hub and global smart technology powerhouse, while accelerating the 5+2 industrial innovation.
January 10, 2018 [Lai Ching-te's Speech] Then-Premier Lai Ching-te emphasized at the "2018 CommonWealth Economic Forum" that Taiwan faces challenges of declining birth rates and technological development, and the government needs to use policy tools to cultivate technological foundation, mentioning the promotion of AI action plans to address related issues.

2017

2017 [Ministry of Science and Technology Planning] Then-Minister of Science and Technology Chen Liang-ji led the establishment of the "AI Action Plan," serving as a guiding principle for the next five years of AI development in Taiwan's industry, government, academia, and research sectors, laying the foundation for Taiwan's AI development.

Focus Areas in Legislative Interpellations

Unclear Division of Regulatory Responsibilities: The National Science and Technology Council (NSTC) has both research funding and organizational capacity, yet it has repeatedly been questioned for "passing the buck" of AI governance responsibilities to the Ministry of Digital Affairs. This has led to concerns about an imbalance between development and regulation.
Lack of Transparency in Decision-Making Process: The Executive Yuan's decision on February 26 lacked official meeting records or supporting documents. Lawmakers have called for complete openness and transparency in the entire decision-making process.
Widespread Concerns in Industry and Academia: If the Ministry of Digital Affairs—an agency of the third tier—becomes the competent authority, it may lack sufficient manpower and budget, and may not be able to fully implement policy. This could impact Taiwan's international AI competitiveness and talent pipeline.
High Attention to Data Sovereignty, Local Language Data, and Open Data: The development of AI technology should safeguard traditional Chinese and the unique characteristics of Taiwanese culture. The government is expected to establish a national-level open data and AI training data repository.

Experts & Agency Participants

This public hearing brought together leading scholars, industry, and ministerial representatives.

Expert List (保持中文原名，to avoid translation errors):

序號	姓名及職稱	所屬單位	推薦單位
1	陳縕儂教授	國立臺灣大學資訊工程學系	國民黨黨團推薦
2	呂冠緯董事長兼執行長	均一平台教育基金會	國民黨黨團推薦
3	林意蓉經理	Gogolook 政府關係暨公共政策	國民黨黨團推薦
4	蔡祈岩理事長	中華民國資訊經理人協會	國民黨黨團推薦
5	薛良斌共同創辦人	MeetAndy AI	國民黨黨團推薦
6	李建良特聘研究員	中央研究院法律學研究所	國民黨黨團推薦
7	王志清共同創辦人暨數位長	LeadBest Consulting Group	國民黨黨團推薦
8	洪毓祥博士	資訊工業策進會	民眾黨黨團推薦
9	郭榮昌執行長	日商優必達株式會社股份有限公司	民進黨黨團推薦
10	許明暉教授	臺北醫學大學大數據科技及管理研究所	民進黨黨團推薦
11	侯宜秀秘書長	財團法人台灣人工智慧學校基金會	民進黨黨團推薦
12	許永真教授	臺灣大學資訊工程學系	民進黨黨團推薦
13	邱文聰處長	中央研究院智財技轉處	民進黨黨團推薦
14	林志潔特聘教授	陽明交通大學科技法律學院	民進黨黨團推薦

Summary of Agency Written Reports

Note: The following is an AI-generated English summary of each agency's report. For the full original texts (in Chinese), please see the full version here (opens in a new tab).

考選部 (Ministry of Examination)

The Ministry of Examination stated that civil service exam categories for information-related jobs currently include "information processing," "information engineering," and "cybersecurity." The creation of new AI-specialized exam categories will depend on requests from government agencies and emerging needs; the ministry will coordinate to update rules and hold exams as Taiwan's AI workforce requirements grow.

勞動部 (Ministry of Labor)

The Ministry of Labor is highly attentive to the impact of AI on the labor market and already offers AI/tech-related vocational training to guide workforce transformation. Employment support platforms such as "TaiwanJobs" are in place, and the Ministry is drafting guidelines concerning anti-discrimination, labor-management negotiation, worker privacy, and plans continuous review of laws and protections to uphold employee rights in the age of AI.

金融監督管理委員會 (Financial Supervisory Commission)

The Financial Supervisory Commission released "Core Principles for AI in Finance" and supplementary guidance that focus on governance and accountability, fairness, privacy and client interests, system robustness and security, transparency and explainability, and sustainable development. The FSC will continue to monitor AI adoption in the finance sector, promoting innovation while emphasizing consumer protection, risk management, and regulatory compliance.

行政院主計總處 (Directorate-General of Budget, Accounting and Statistics)

The Directorate-General of Budget, Accounting and Statistics reported NT$7.4 billion budgeted in 2025 for AI-related projects, including NSTC, MOEA, and MODA (Ministry of Digital Affairs) initiatives. It will allocate funds in accordance with the progress of AI policy and the AI Basic Act's implementation.

國家科學及技術委員會 (National Science and Technology Council)

NSTC highlighted the draft's seven basic principles—sustainability, human agency, privacy, security, transparency, fairness, accountability—and four focal themes: innovation/talent, risk management, rights and data use, legal adaptation. NSTC leads AI research, talent cultivation, and international cooperation, asserting the necessity for a comprehensive and balanced AI Basic Act.

個人資料保護委員會籌備處 (Personal Data Protection Commission Preparatory Office)

The Personal Data Protection Commission (preparatory office) recommends that privacy and data minimization be integral to all AI systems, with robust mechanisms embedded by design. When AI applications process personal data, compliance with Taiwan's Personal Data Protection Act is mandatory, and the commission will monitor global trends for ongoing law refinement.

衛生福利部 (Ministry of Health and Welfare)

The Ministry of Health and Welfare notes widespread AI use in healthcare for diagnosis, management, and safety. The ministry has funded centers for "Responsible AI," clinical AI verification, and AI impact research, focusing on transparency, explainability, security, privacy, clinical safety, fairness, and sustainable healthcare integration.

交通部 (Ministry of Transportation and Communications)

The Ministry of Transportation and Communications has launched legal research on AI in transportation, favoring a "Taiwan model" that differentiates strict legal supervision for high-risk AI (e.g., self-driving) and flexible self-regulation/guidelines for others. Initiatives include the Intelligent Transport Systems plan, open transportation data via the TDX platform, and supporting workforce digital transformation.

財政部 (Ministry of Finance)

The Ministry of Finance actively supports AI development through tax incentives—current law recognizes AI-related spending, and amended regulations will enable more businesses to claim credits for AI product development. Expanding the Industry Innovation Act, MOF aims to boost AI investment as part of national digital and green transformation.

經濟部 (Ministry of Economic Affairs)

The Ministry of Economic Affairs encourages firms to adopt AI via tax breaks, R&D partnerships, and tailor-made AI solutions for local industry sectors. It develops cloud service platforms to lower adoption thresholds and sponsors workforce training, international partnerships, and industry-specific capability building.

教育部 (Ministry of Education)

The Ministry of Education systematically promotes AI learning resources across all educational stages: creating AI learning platforms and competitions for K-12 through university, strengthening teacher training, and expanding university and polytechnic AI course offerings, with a strong focus on hands-on, interdisciplinary, and industry-linked learning.

文化部 (Ministry of Culture)

The Ministry of Culture monitors the use of AI in arts and cultures, drafting sector-specific guidelines and regulations to safely incorporate AI in creative work, address copyright concerns, and define rules for grant funding and award participation for AI-generated works. It balances innovation with the protection of artistic and cultural rights.

中央研究院 (Academia Sinica)

Academia Sinica's Generative AI Risk Taskforce studies copyright, personal data, risk governance, social and environmental impact, and public governance challenges posed by AI. It is committed to interdisciplinary research and stands ready to provide independent technical and legal advice to policymakers.

數位發展部 (Ministry of Digital Affairs)

The Ministry of Digital Affairs references international experience, advocating for Basic Act legislation with a focus on innovation, risk management, and human-centered development. MODA advances the draft by employing five strategic tools: computing power, data, talent, marketing, and funding, and oversees legislative interpretation and implementation.

國防部 (Ministry of National Defense)

The Ministry of National Defense supports the AI Basic Act as a means to develop a secure and competitive national defense. Although the draft does not explicitly address military AI, MOD is preparing special regulations and governance for sensitive military use and will continue to strengthen coordination with MODA and review defense AI rules.

法務部 (Ministry of Justice)

The Ministry of Justice serves as legal advisor, explaining distinctions between government information disclosure and data openness, and will assist in ensuring the Basic Act fits within national legal frameworks and administrative requirements.

行政院 (Executive Yuan)

The Executive Yuan recognizes the act's necessity, setting forth national AI vision and governance priorities—anchoring digital inclusion, open data, labor rights, and innovation in law—expediting the bill's progress to the legislature.

行政院人事行政總處 (Directorate-General of Personnel Administration)

The Directorate-General of Personnel Administration is focusing on in-service AI training for civil servants, creating AI learning modules and digital platforms to enhance the government's AI capacity and speed up digital transformation.

Legislator Ko's Commitment

"Taiwan's AI industry must deploy ahead—not just regulate, but actively promote R&D and innovation. If authorities focus only on control and red lines, Taiwan will always lag behind in the AI wave. The future of AI should be led by innovative agencies like NSTC, with government, industry, and academia marching forward together."

"This AI Basic Act is Taiwan's AI constitution for the next 10 years, advocating development priority, equitable sharing, valuable data opening, and investment encouragement, ensuring Taiwan doesn't lose its way or fall behind in the global AI competition. Let's work together to safeguard Taiwan's technological future!"

"Taiwan's AI needs more than just sufficient energy and computing power—data is even more important. Existing large language models and mainstream AI services used excessive Simplified Chinese data during training, causing a 'Simplified Chinese (ideological) coverage' problem. To expand the influence of democratic values and diverse history, please support Article 15 'Valuable Data Opening' in the AI Basic Act draft, allowing the government to fund the compilation and procurement of data, effectively creating a government-led 'AI Media Bargaining Act' that guides AI companies from various countries to purchase and utilize data from Taiwan's local media, while also opening it for public and global sharing in the future."

*All summaries above are translated and synthesized by AI.

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