How Can We Advance AI Without Losing Sight of the Human? A Conversation Between Maxim Oreshkin and Sam Majid

Artificial intelligence is being adopted at an ever-accelerating pace — but how can we regulate technology without slowing its progress? Where should the line be drawn between freedom to innovate and the responsibility of governments and businesses?

In this new episode of Open Dialogue, Maxim Oreshkin, Deputy Chief of Staff of the Presidential Executive Office of the Russian Federation, speaks with Sam Majid, the First Head of Malaysia's National AI Office (NAIO, 2024–2026).

At the heart of the conversation is Malaysia's practical experience with AI: how a national AI policy is developed, which regulatory approaches can foster technological progress, when voluntary industry commitments are no longer enough, and what criteria can be used to determine whether AI solutions are ready for widespread adoption. These questions became one of the central themes of the Open Dialogue expert session in Vladivostok.

A separate focus is the role of the human in this new technological landscape. Sam Majid stresses that people must remain at the centre of the system and retain the final say when artificial intelligence is used.

Maxim Oreshkin and Sam Majid discuss how AI adoption can be made effective, responsible and human-centred at the same time — and what roles governments, businesses and users themselves should play in achieving this balance.

The podcast was recorded in Vladivostok as part of the expert session "Asia-Pacific: A Testing Ground for Technological Experimentation", held within the international Open Dialogue project "The Future of the World: A New Platform for Global Growth." The session took place at the Vladivostok branch of the National Centre RUSSIA, with the support of the Third Rome Centre for Cross-Sectoral Expertise.