Stronger brakes for smarter AI: Singapore pushes tougher guardrails

People walk with robot dogs during the opening of the 2026 IFA international trade show for consumer electronics and home appliances in Berlin September 4, 2026. — AFP pic

First Published: Saturday, 03 Oct 2026 9:02 AM MYT

SINGAPORE, Oct 3 — Singapore is strengthening safeguards against artificial intelligence (AI) as it becomes more capable and autonomous, said Digital Development and Information Minister Josephine Teo.

She said the advancement of AI has led to growing concerns, including among leading AI developers, about the risks that could follow.

“The bigger the potential impact of an AI-enabled action, the stronger the safeguards and human oversight should be.

“In other words, just as attackers can use AI, so too can defenders,” she said in her Facebook post yesterday. 

Teo said safeguards become even more important as AI models are brought into systems, giving them access to data, tools and processes.

According to Teo, Singapore recently joined a call led by Norway and Finland for stronger safeguards for frontier AI models and emphasised the importance of international cooperation on common rules and safeguards for AI.

“Whether the concern is deliberate misuse or unintended actions by increasingly autonomous AI, no single safeguard will be enough. 

“We need a multi-layered approach comprising stronger cyber defences, clear limits on what AI can do, appropriate human oversight, and the capabilities to test, monitor and learn as the technology evolves,” she added. — Bernama