Nimble, Flexible, but with Guard Rails: DPM Gan Lays out S’pore’s AI Approach at Davos Panel

The Strait Times | 22 January 2025

(From left) Bloomberg anchor Haslinda Amin, Thai Commerce Minister Pichai Naripthaphan, Neusoft senior vice-president Wang Nan, Singapore Deputy Prime Minister Gan Kim Yong, Baker McKenzie global chair Milton Cheng and Mynt CEO Martha Sazon at a WEF panel session on Jan 21.

SINGAPORE – Singapore’s approach towards greater artificial intelligence (AI) adoption is to be nimble and flexible, while ensuring that developments in the space take place within the limits of ethical guard rails, Deputy Prime Minister Gan Kim Yong said on Jan 21.

He made the point during a panel discussion at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, after the moderator, Bloomberg Television anchor Haslinda Amin, suggested that the Republic is “pretty relaxed” and has “no fixed regulation” when it comes to AI.

“I must correct that,” said DPM Gan, who is also Trade and Industry Minister.

Singapore has developed “quite an elaborate” code of conduct for how it should develop and deploy AI in an ethical way. It has worked with many countries in developing such guidelines, he noted, adding: “So I think we are quite serious about it.”

On regulation, he said the authorities apply a “very light touch” when new applications in AI technology are still being experimented with via a sandbox.

“You really don’t know how to regulate it before the technology is mature, but we (want to) keep a very close watch on the development of the technology within the sandbox,” DPM Gan added.

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