Gaining Support for Stronger Frameworks to Ensure Ethical Use of AI Technology

Fourteenth Parliament of Singapore – Second Session for the Sitting on 10 January 2024

Question

Mr Yip Hon Weng asked the Prime Minister with regard to the National Artificial Intelligence (AI) Strategy 2.0 (a) what will be done to gain the trust and support of all Singaporeans and stakeholders in view of the prevailing ethical and copyright concerns worldwide towards AI technology; and (b) whether the Government intends to focus on strengthening regulations and ethical frameworks on the use of AI technology before implementing the Strategy.

Answer

Written answer by Mrs Josephine Teo, Minister for Communications and Information and Minister-in-charge of Smart Nation and Cybersecurity (for the Prime Minister)

We expect AI to be deployed in a responsible and ethical way, so that its benefits can be enjoyed safely by all. Singapore’s practical and risk-based approach to the governance of AI has been explained at previous sittings, most recently on 22 November 2023[^1]. We launched (a) the Model AI Governance Framework in 2019; and (b) AI Verify in 2022, a toolkit that helps companies be more transparent about their AI systems, in areas such as fairness and explainability. We also engage widely with international partners on AI governance through multilateral platforms such as the Global Partnership on AI. Together, these efforts help ensure that all Singaporeans can interact with AI systems with confidence.

Recent advancements in generative AI have raised copyright concerns – for example, around the use of copyrighted materials for model training and copyright for AI-generated content. This is an area that many jurisdictions, including Singapore, are studying. The Ministry of Law and the Intellectual Property Office of Singapore have been engaging stakeholders and will develop an appropriate response in due time. 

Given the fast-evolving developments in AI, we cannot adopt a one-size-fits-all approach to regulate it, nor can we anticipate every risk out there. We have been reviewing our regulations and governance frameworks to ensure that they remain fit-for-purpose, and will continue to do so as we implement our refreshed AI Strategy.

Note:
[^1] We have also explained our approach to AI governance at the 21 April 2023, 9 May 2023, 6 July 2023, and 6 November 2023 sittings.