A reflection on why public procurement — not only public regulation — will decide the shape of Thailand's AI economy.
Government is not only a regulator of technology. It is also one of the country's largest buyers.
Public agencies purchase software, cloud services, security systems, healthcare technology, educational platforms and operational infrastructure. These procurement choices influence which companies grow, which standards become normal and how much long-term dependency Thailand accepts.
This purchasing power can shape the national AI market. If public agencies buy only closed systems from established global vendors, domestic organisations may remain subcontractors with limited access to knowledge, data and intellectual property. If procurement focuses only on the lowest initial price, Thailand may later face expensive vendor lock-in, weak interoperability and systems that cannot be adapted to changing needs.
The OECD's framework for trustworthy AI in government emphasises enablers, guardrails, public engagement and impact monitoring. Thailand's Digital Data Infrastructure Roadmap similarly identifies interoperability, governance and institutional coordination as essential foundations.
Public procurement should therefore consider open and interoperable architecture, data portability, transparent performance testing, cybersecurity, local-language capability, lifecycle cost, human appeal and oversight, and opportunities for Thai firms to build genuine capability.
Government does not need to favour local solutions regardless of quality. But procurement can be designed so that Thai companies, universities and start-ups have a fair opportunity to participate, learn and retain valuable intellectual assets.
Pilot projects should also have a credible path toward scale. Thailand has many demonstrations that never become institutional capability because procurement rules separate experimentation from long-term adoption.
My research emphasised consultation, respected governance and understandable rules. Public technology procurement needs the same qualities. A government contract should not merely purchase a product. It should help create the standards, markets and capabilities Thailand will depend upon in the future.
Every major public-technology purchase is also a decision about which national capabilities Thailand chooses to build — or remain dependent upon.