AI needs aviation-style safeguards to build trust as adoption grows: Josephine Teo
As AI capabilities advance rapidly, Singapore is building safeguards alongside adoption to help ensure the technology can be used with confidence, said Minister for Digital Development and Information Josephine Teo.
Visitors stand near a sign for artificial intelligence at an AI robot booth at Security China, an exhibition on public safety and security, in Beijing, China, on Jun 7, 2023. (File photo: Reuters/Florence Lo)
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SINGAPORE: Artificial intelligence needs safeguards similar to those in the aviation industry to build trust in the technology as adoption grows, said Minister for Digital Development and Information Josephine Teo.
Drawing a parallel with civil aviation, Mrs Teo said in a LinkedIn post on Thursday (Sep 17) that the industry’s growth was made possible by “hundreds, if not thousands” of standards and regulations that help ensure safety and build public trust.
“We expect companies in the world of civil aviation to each do their part to train their people properly and implement safeguards consistently. Without such assurances, neither passenger nor even crew will board,” she wrote.
“In time to come, we will need similar setups for AI. Trust is an essential requirement for a technology to be regularly relied upon.”
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Mrs Teo’s comments come amid calls from leaders of top AI companies like OpenAI chief Sam Altman and Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei for a slowdown in its development, citing concerns that humans could lose control of AI if development outpaces the ability to understand and control the technology.
Concerns over AI have grown due to its rapidly increasing capabilities and a series of safety incidents.
In July, some OpenAI models escaped containment and hacked into AI startup Hugging Face. OpenAI confirmed earlier this month that autonomous software built on its models targeted another website before the Hugging Face incident.
Anthropic also disclosed in July that its AI model Claude breached the systems of three companies during testing after a configuration error gave it internet access.
Safeguards for advanced AI are still taking shape, and the required research and testing will take time, Mrs Teo noted.
“That is why we must do the hard, practical work now,” she said, adding that Singapore was building safeguards alongside adoption, such as developing ways to test and assure AI systems, strengthening technical capabilities to evaluate advanced models, and giving organisations practical guidance on responsible use.
“Initiatives such as AI Verify, the Singapore AI Safety Institute and our Model AI governance frameworks support this work.”
Singapore has also rolled out a guide to help firms deploy AI agents more safely and reliably.
International collaboration is also needed as countries cannot tackle AI safety alone, she added.
In May, Singapore hosted the second International Scientific Exchange on AI Safety, a conference involving over 100 contributors from 13 countries to discuss managing the technology’s risks.
The resulting Singapore Consensus on Global AI Safety Research Priorities report brought together diverse perspectives from around the world to identify shared priorities for global AI safety research, said Mrs Teo.
“We will not have all the answers from the outset. But as AI grows more capable, its safeguards must keep pace,” said the minister, adding that Singapore would continue to test, learn, and strengthen its approach.
“Trust lies at the core of our vision of a vibrant AI Hub. We will work with industry, researchers, and international partners so that AI can be used with confidence, for the benefit of all.”
Source: CNA/rl(sn)
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