Small states must have say as world shapes new compact with tech giants: Vivian Balakrishnan

SINGAPORE: Small states and developing countries must have a say in the rules and guardrails governing technologies, rather than a handful of powerful nations and technology giants having a monopoly of it, said Foreign Affairs Minister Vivian Balakrishnan on Thursday (Oct 15).

Dr Balakrishnan also called for a new compact between governments, technology companies and the wider international community in his address to a high-level plenary session on diplomacy at Singapore International Cyber Week.

"We need a shared, unvarnished, bald assessment of the risks. We need to develop common norms and guardrails so that we can accelerate the pace of technology and reap its benefits, but also deal with the risks," he said. 

Dr Balakrishnan also said diplomacy can no longer be conducted solely between nation-states.

"Today, some of the most consequential actors in our international system are not nation-states. In fact, some of them are the big technology titans," he said.

He noted how some of these companies are "worth more than the majority of member states of the UN (United Nations)".

Beyond money, these companies control critical technologies on which modern life depends. They control digital platforms and the pace and the frontier of artificial intelligence (AI).

"The decisions made in the boardrooms or by the CEOs of these companies – on access, on deployment, on safeguards – have consequences far beyond national borders," Dr Balakrishnan said.

He drew a historical parallel to the situation with the British and Dutch East India companies, who in their era had accumulated enormous economic and political power through trading.

"These companies could raise armies, navies, negotiate treaties, even conquer and administer territories. And in case you have forgotten, the British East India Company played a central role in the colonisation of India – even the founding of Singapore as a free port," he said.

"Now, I’m not saying that today's internet titans are the same – I hope they’re not the same," he said. 

But he said it is worth remembering that private companies now "possess capabilities and resources that exceed that of most nation-states".

Dr Balakrishnan said that governments still remain ultimately responsible for national security, for international law, and for the decisions on the use of force.

"But increasingly, the technologies that shape these decisions – these dilemmas – are in fact developed and controlled by private companies," he said.

This is especially important for frontier AI, he added, where a small number of companies are developing capabilities with far-reaching impacts on international security.

Dr Balakrishnan said that "most of us – in fact, even the superpowers – will not have a monopoly on the complete technology stack".

"There will always be some level of interdependence."

"But there are still many parts of the world which have not even caught up with the last industrial revolution, and they need – all of us need – to get to the frontiers of the next digital AI revolution," he said.

"Otherwise, the digital divide will widen, the disparity in economies and military power will also become more entrenched, and we will set ourselves up for a new stage of neo-colonisation.

He also said that while not all countries will be at the frontier of developing new technology, they can aspire to be at the forefront of deploying these effectively to improve lives and to transform economies.

Dr Balakrishnan also said that for countries to participate meaningfully, they need capabilities, and he listed three: Support and access to foundational research and technologies, talent and infrastructure.

All countries need secure and resilient digital systems, reliable connectivity, and access to computing resources, he said.

"But not every country – even a superpower – can build this entire stack on its own.

"And that’s why we continue to believe that international capacity-building is still essential," Dr Balakrishnan said.