PHNOM PENH -- The 20th ASEAN Ministerial Meeting on Science, Technology, and Innovation kicked off in northwest Cambodia's Siem Reap province on Friday.

Brought together ministers or their representatives from the 10 ASEAN member states, the meeting, under the theme of "Artificial Intelligence Application: Navigating the Future", aimed at shaping the future of science, technology, and innovation (STI) in the ASEAN region and beyond.

In his opening speech live broadcast on the state-run TVK, Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet stressed on the need for all STI development to be "people-centric".

"ASEAN has benefited greatly from globalization supported by the advancement of science and technology, which has transformed the region from a group mostly newly independent states to one of the epicenters of growth of the world," he said.

Hun Manet said AI stands out prominently within the current landscape, along advancement in blockchain, quantum computing, data science, machine learning, augmented reality and virtual reality, deep learning, biotechnology, and gene editing and biometric authentications.

"In fact, AI has become ubiquitous in our lives, as evident by simple tasks, such as searching for information on smartphones," he said.

Hem Vanndy, Cambodian minister of industry, science, technology and innovation, said the meeting will explore the impact of AI across key sectors like industries, education, healthcare, climate change and services.

"Discussions will emphasize AI's role as a tool for growth that serves humanity's interests," he said, adding that the meeting will highlight priority areas for STI initiatives in the coming years.

"The overarching goal is to establish strong frameworks and best practices for responsible AI development and application that promote inclusivity, sustainable development, while adhering to core values and essence of humanity," Vanndy said.

ASEAN (the Association of Southeast Asian Nations) groups Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.