HANOI (AFP) — A law regulating artificial intelligence (AI) went into effect in Vietnam on Sunday, making it the first country in Southeast Asia with a comprehensive framework on the booming technology.

Passed by the National Assembly in December, the law focuses on the risks posed by generative AI, requiring human oversight and control along the lines of the European Union’s landmark AI Act.

Many nations are moving to address the dangers of chatbots and image generators — from misinformation to online abuse and copyright violations — but few have enacted legislation.

The legislation, which is in force as of 1 March, “paves the way for Vietnam to deeply integrate with international standards while maintaining digital sovereignty,” the government said in a December report.

It requires companies to clearly label AI-generated content such as deepfakes that cannot readily be differentiated from reality.

It also requires them to disclose to customers when they are interacting with an artificial rather than human agent.

The law applies to developers as well as providers and deployers of the technology, whether they are Vietnamese organizations or foreign entities operating in the country.

Vietnam has set ambitious double-digit growth targets for the next five years, with expansion of the digital economy a key part of its development strategy.

AI and the data economy are “pillars” of a “more sustainable and smarter new development” model, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh was quoted as saying Wednesday on the government’s website.