Singapore asks major tech firms for full transparency, quicker information-sharing amid AI risks: Shanmugam

SINGAPORE: Singapore has asked major tech firms for “full transparency immediately” and quicker sharing of information amid rising risks from artificial intelligence (AI), said Senior Minister and Coordinating Minister for National Security K Shanmugam on Tuesday (Oct 13).

Speaking to reporters at the Singapore International Cyber Week (SICW) conference at Marina Bay Sands Expo and Convention Centre, he said: “I met some firms in different contexts, face-to-face meetings as well as in a broader setting with ministers during lunch. They included all the major firms: OpenAI, Anthropic, we had Google, Amazon and others.

“The key ask from Singapore, as well as many of the other countries, was: when some things happen, can we have full transparency immediately?

“Because we need to know something when it happens at almost real time, in fact, in real time, and we need to know exactly what's happened, because the companies will know that to the extent that they know.”

Countries are dependent on these major tech companies as they have the technology, platforms and resources.

He said another key ask was for the firms to exchange notes with governments and to notify them early when something happens.

He referenced the incident in Australia where an OpenAI agent breached a government health data portal in June, gaining unauthorised access to files.

It had taken three months to inform the Australian government of the incident.

Last week, OpenAI and Anthropic told the Australian parliament that they would welcome laws requiring them to report data breaches carried out by their AI agents, acknowledging the decision to notify authorities was currently at their discretion.

When asked if the companies agreed to Singapore’s asks, Mr Shanmugam said that “generally the companies have expressed an attitude of cooperation”, and that it was a work in progress and talks were ongoing.

CONTROL OF CUTTING-EDGE TOOLS

Mr Shanmugam also made a case for controlling the public availability of cutting-edge AI tools.

“I will put the question this way: can AI be used by bad people to create a lot of damage?” he asked.

“If the answer is yes – and I think most people think the answer is yes, that bad people, if they get access to the cutting-edge tools, can create havoc and even cause widespread physical damage (and) kill people – if that is so, then would you automatically make it available broadly? Or would you put a framework around it as to who can access it?”

Drawing a comparison to powerful weapon systems, Mr Shanmugam said that “there are reasons why these things are controlled” and that there is a reason to be careful about who can access such tools.

When asked if Singapore is in talks with other Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) countries on coordinating responses to rogue AI agent attacks, Mr Shanmugam said that a number of countries from the bloc were present at SICW and that “the discussions were common to us”.

He added that ASEAN officials and ministers also spoke up during a closed-door roundtable between political leaders and industry figures.

Mr Shanmugam added that ASEAN has its own framework for dealing with cyber issues, but it is a work in progress and “a lot has to be done”.

“We are all catching up on this issue of AI, and each country is focused on its own issues. ASEAN collectively has some work to do in trying to deal with it together too, so these are discussions that have to carry on,” he said.