On August 19, 2026, Mr. Thatchai Keeratiphongphaiboon, Director of the International Strategy and Coordination Division, and Mr. Athipong Hirunraengchok, Director of the Competitiveness Development Strategy and Coordination Division, met with a delegation from the U.S. Chamber of Commerce (USCC) to discuss Thailand’s OECD accession and AI development direction. The USCC delegation was led by Mr. John Goyer, Vice President; Mr. Abel Torres, Executive Director; and Mr. Chris Organ, Director for Southeast Asia, alongside representatives from private sector companies such as Siemens Healthineers and Netflix at the Hyatt Regency Bangkok Sukhumvit.
NESDC representatives presented progress on Thailand’s OECD accession process, which is currently in the Technical Review stage. The Digital Policy Committee (DPC), one of the 25 OECD committees evaluating Thailand, has issued questionnaires to the Ministry of Digital Economy and Society (MDES) and the National Digital Economy and Society Commission (ONDE) as the lead agencies, which are currently preparing the responses. The DPC prioritizes a human-centric, inclusive, secure, and sustainable digital transformation, while supporting digital infrastructure development, AI accessibility, and the formulation of policies and regulations conducive to the digital economy.
The DPC principles align with Thailand’s National AI Action Plan (2022–2027), which focuses on five strategies: ethics and regulations, infrastructure, human resources, research and development and innovation, and business promotion and AI adoption. Furthermore, Thailand is reviewing the action plan to draft the second phase (2028–2032), centered on “Quick Wins” across 10 key development goals: food, health, education, government services, security, energy, transport, tourism, manufacturing, and finance. OECD membership is expected to further support Thailand in achieving these AI-related objectives.
Additionally, both parties discussed ways to strengthen AI cooperation between the public and private sectors and exchanged views on shared interests, such as AI governance, data sovereignty, and addressing online scams. The U.S. Chamber of Commerce expressed readiness to collaborate with the Thai public and private sectors to enhance AI cooperation in all dimensions. They also pledged to support Thai private sector participation in the OECD through Business at OECD (BIAC), particularly by providing assistance and best practices to SMEs that may face time and cost constraints in adapting to OECD standards.
Story and Photos: International Strategy and Coordination Division, NESDC
