Singapore explores AI regulation with new council and research project

Singapore has announced plans to set up an Artificial Intelligence (AI) advisory council as it moves ahead with plans to be a regional lead in big data and new technologies.

Speaking of the plans – which The Business Times reports will include developing ethical standards for AI use – Minister for Communications and Information, S Iswaran, said: “Innovative technologies bring economic and societal benefits, as well as attendant ethical issues. Thus, good regulation is needed to enable innovation by building public trust.”

The move indicates the progress Singapore is making in developing its AI credentials. Last year, two leading universities, Nanyang Technological University (NTU) and the National University Singapore (NUS), announced initiatives to strengthen research and development in the fields of data science and artificial intelligence.

That was followed by an announcement in March, covered by Asia House Insights, to create a new cyber-security start-up hub to encourage innovation aimed at strengthening Singapore’s digital infrastructure.

Alongside the new council, another elite university, Singapore Management University (SMU), is setting up a five-year research programme on AI governance and data use. SMU has been awarded a research grant of S$4.5 million from the National Research Foundation and Infocomm Media Development Authority for the project.

According to the news site CNET, the new council will help build a trusted ecosystem “that assures consumer confidence as Singapore continues to develop itself as an AI hub and new business models emerge.”

New technologies such as AI and blockchain promise to revolutionise global trade and business – a theme Asia House will explore at its major conference in Singapore this November.  AI thought-leader, Kai-Fu Lee, will be speaking at the conference.