Singapore studying stronger safeguards for high-risk AI uses as systems grow more autonomous: Josephine Teo
There has been no reported cyber attack involving an unsupervised AI agent against Singapore government agencies so far.
Singapore is exploring the possibility of stronger safeguards for high-risk uses of artificial intelligence (AI) as the technology becomes more autonomous and capable, according to Josephine Teo, Singapore's Minister for Digital Development and Information. This comes as increasingly advanced AI systems pose new risks that existing safety measures may not fully address.
Teo stated that for essential services and other higher-risk AI applications, safeguards could include more rigorous testing, independently verifiable evidence of safety measures' effectiveness, tighter controls on deployment, and stronger regulatory oversight. The government aims to enable AI innovation while taking a risk-based and multi-layered approach, limiting what AI agents can do and presuming malicious actors will exploit AI for harm more affordably and quickly.
There have been no reported cyber attacks involving unsupervised AI agents against Singapore government agencies thus far. The Cyber Security Agency of Singapore (CSA) and Government Technology Agency of Singapore (GovTech) are leveraging AI to bolster the security of government systems and critical information infrastructure, identifying vulnerabilities and potential threats more swiftly.
The government is also investigating how existing channels for reporting cyber incidents can be better utilized to identify incidents involving AI, facilitate remediation, and enhance safeguards. Singapore's stance acknowledges the potential "catastrophic or even extinction-level" risks associated with AI but does not assume these risks will manifest.
The National AI Council provides strategic direction on the nation's broader approach to AI risks, and Singapore has backed an international call by over 20 world leaders for stronger safeguards around frontier AI. The government engages frontier AI developers for information and access to their models when appropriate, aiming to build collaborative relationships that encourage substantive and timely information-sharing.
As AI becomes more capable of acting on behalf of people, the government emphasizes the need for robust safeguards and a strengthened ability to understand emerging risks and respond to problems, ultimately fostering trust in AI as a technology that serves the public good.
Written by urgent.news from CNA - Singapore's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
