The AI Capability Trap: policy sequencing in Asian developing countries, Ep. 4

https://doi.org/10.1080/17516234.2026... Ben Brik, A. (2026). Policy sequencing and the capability trap: AI governance instrument design across Asian developing countries. Journal of Asian Public Policy, 1–20. Many developing countries adopt national AI strategies, ethics guidelines and regulators before the technical and administrative capabilities those instruments require exist. This episode explains the capability trap in AI governance, compares regulation-first and investment-first approaches across 29 Asian developing countries, and asks what the sequencing of policy instruments means for building real AI capacity. Chapters 0:00 The AI Capability Trap 0:26 Do strict laws equal real AI capability? 1:01 The rush to regulate 1:51 The capability trap: form without function 2:42 Four approaches to AI: classifying 29 countries 3:38 Regulation versus investment 4:39 Infrastructure first 6:31 Should AI regulation wait for the technology? Listen to Research Conversations: Apple Podcasts https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast... | Spotify https://open.spotify.com/show/71qP42V... More episodes: https://anisbenbrik.net/podcast This video was generated with NotebookLM from the published article. Dr Anis Ben Brik | anisbenbrik.net