Papua New Guinea plans AI framework centred on data sovereignty and legislation

Papua New Guinea’s Department of Information and Communications Technology has outlined a national approach to AI focused on data sovereignty, trusted public infrastructure, and new legislation.

Speaking at Media Summit 2026, Secretary Steven Matainaho described the government’s AI approach as a framework expressed as Digital Government multiplied by Digital Public Infrastructure to the power of AI. Matainaho said the model is intended to replace fragmented ICT projects with a coordinated national system bringing together connectivity, computing, data, digital public infrastructure, and AI capability.

He said the strategy is intended to ensure AI is deployed through trusted national platforms such as SevisPass and in ways that remain secure, interoperable, and respectful of Papua New Guinea’s cultural context. He also identified four main elements of the framework:

• Strengthening existing digital foundations such as SevisPass and SevisDEx
• Establishing a National AI Register
• Adopting sovereign data governance
• Introducing new laws, including a National Artificial Intelligence Act and a Data Governance and Protection Act.

He warned that reliance on foreign-trained AI models without a sovereign framework could misrepresent Pacific cultures, particularly where knowledge remains oral and community-based. The aim, he argued, is to shift from dependence on external models towards locally developed systems better suited to national and cultural needs.

Looking ahead to the 2027 election cycle, Matainaho said the department aims to establish a shared verification standard for government and media in Papua New Guinea. He said that the approach is intended to ‘protect the sovereign aspects of our national data’ and ensure that technology serves the public rather than allowing external algorithms to shape ‘our narrative.’

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