Thailand's ambition to become a data-and-technology-driven economy faces structural hurdles, says a senior researcher at the Thailand Development Research Institute (TDRI).
Fragmented government and private-sector databases are preventing the country from fully harnessing the value of data, the TDRI noted.
The warning comes as the government is promoting digital transformation as a cornerstone of its strategy to escape the middle-income trap and build a knowledge-based economy.
Authorities have pledged to make data-driven policymaking a key pillar of economic modernisation, arguing that better use of big data and digital technologies will improve public services, boost productivity, and attract more investment.
However, Nonarit Bisonyabut, senior research fellow at TDRI, said Thailand remains only at the "baby stage" of working its way up to the status of a truly data-driven country.
"The first prerequisite is having data, and Thailand does collect a great deal of it," he said. "The problem is that the data is stored in silos."
Government agencies, including the Department of Land Transport and the Public Health Ministry, each maintain their own databases, while banks, mobile network operators and hospitals also hold extensive customer information.
But these databases rarely communicate with one another, limiting their usefulness beyond individual organisations.
"As a result, each organisation can only develop services based on the data it already possesses," Mr Nonarit said.
Banks, for example, can analyse customer behaviour to tailor financial products or insurance offers, but broader innovation remains constrained because datasets cannot be integrated.
Practical challenges
Mr Nonarit said the Personal Data Protection Act (PDPA) also presents practical challenges, requiring organisations to obtain users' consent before using personal data for new purposes. While the law safeguards privacy, it also limits the ability to maximise the economic value of data.
Government agencies face different challenges. Although they have the legal authority to collect certain types of information, officials often hesitate to share data for fear of legal liability or public scrutiny.
"There has long been a culture of not sharing data -- even among government agencies themselves," Mr Nonarit said.
While recent legislation encourages greater information sharing, implementation remains limited, with agencies typically responding only to specific requests rather than making interoperable datasets broadly available.
Mr Nonarit cited the Department of Business Development as an example. Instead of publishing company director information in an accessible format, the agency only allows users to ask whether a specific individual serves as a director of a particular company.
"That approach doesn't create an ecosystem where innovation can flourish because the data isn't connected," he said.
By contrast, countries such as China have built highly integrated data systems, enabling authorities to use artificial intelligence to improve traffic management, enhance public safety and streamline urban administration, albeit with far less emphasis on personal privacy.
Thailand lacks the ability to connect an individual's records across different databases through a single digital identity, Mr Nonarit said. If linked securely, data associated with a citizen's 13-digit national identification number -- including their driving history, accident records and health information -- could support more accurate insurance pricing, better public policy and more personalised services.
Mr Nonarit said democratic countries have also demonstrated successful models.
European nations, he said, have developed trusted regulatory frameworks that protect personal privacy while enabling consumers to voluntarily share data for financial services, insurance and other innovations. Such systems allow lenders, for instance, to assess borrowers more efficiently based on verified risk profiles.
Thailand has made limited progress through smaller initiatives, including the Bank of Thailand's "Your Data" project, which seeks to broaden access to financing by allowing customers to share financial information more easily. While such projects can generate incremental economic gains, Mr Nonarit said they fall short of the comprehensive data ecosystem required for a genuinely data-driven economy.
Data exchange platform
Mr Nonarit advocated creating a nationwide "data exchange" platform built around secure digital identities. Under such a system, individuals would control access to their personal information -- including health records, financial history and other verified data -- and selectively authorise organisations to use it.
Such a framework could transform industries ranging from insurance to healthcare, he said. Insurers could offer customised premiums based on verified health data or information collected through wearable devices, encouraging preventive healthcare while reducing costs.
Healthcare is another area where fragmented systems continue to impede efficiency. Patients transferring between hospitals often still need to physically obtain and carry their medical records, despite advances in digital technology.
"Medical records should already be transferable electronically so patients can receive treatment more quickly," Mr Nonarit said.
He also warned that while Thailand struggles to integrate its own data, foreign digital platforms have become highly effective at collecting and monetising information from Thai users.
Most users, he said, routinely accept lengthy terms and conditions without understanding what rights they are surrendering in exchange for access to online services. Once companies accumulate massive datasets, they can deploy AI to strengthen their businesses and influence consumer behaviour.
"There is a real question over whether users fully understand what they have consented to," he said.
He pointed to cases involving social media algorithms that encourage excessive consumption or influence children's behaviour. Mr Nonarit also noted that seeking legal remedies against overseas technology firms remains difficult because they operate outside Thailand's jurisdiction.
Although the Consumer Council has pursued legal action in some cases, enforcing consumer protections against multinational technology companies remains a significant challenge, he added.
