Josephine Teo on responsible and ethical use of artificial intelligence

Singapore supports the responsible development and deployment of artificial intelligence (AI) to unlock its transformative potential on the economy and society, said Communications and Information Minister Josephine Teo. She stressed that it cannot and should not adopt a one-size-fits-all approach to regulate it. Nor is it realistic to address in advance every risk of AI. Replying to an MP’s questions in Parliament on Thursday (Jul 6), Mrs Teo said the Government hopes to see AI deployed in a responsible and ethical way, aligned with international norms. She highlighted the initiatives of the Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA) and Personal Data Protection Commission (PDPC) to guide the development and deployment of AI. PDPC has published a governance framework for companies to safely deploy AI solutions. IMDA has open-sourced AI Verify, an AI governance testing framework and software toolkit to strengthen trust. Later this year, PDPC will be issuing advisory guidelines on the use of personal data in AI systems. Mrs Teo said these initiatives have been noticed and commended by Singapore’s international and industry partners as “practical steps” for thinking about how responsible AI developments can be implemented. She said the Government will continue to monitor developments and is prepared to adjust its approach as knowledge and understanding evolve. Mrs Teo also highlighted Singapore’s efforts to engage with its international partners through multilateral platforms.