- While over 1,300 global AI policy initiatives (according to OECD.AI) are shifting from voluntary guidelines to mandatory obligations, Singapore chooses a targeted, step-by-step approach instead of a comprehensive legal framework.
- The country implements its National AI Strategy along with several initiatives such as the Monetary Authority of Singapore’s FEAT Principles (Fairness – Ethics – Accountability – Transparency) and the Infocomm Media Development Authority’s (IMDA) Model AI Governance Framework, which has now expanded to include Generative AI.
- While the EU AI Act strictly regulates based on risk levels (from “high risk” to “unacceptable risk”), and China focuses on pragmatic control (price discrimination, deepfakes, algorithmic preference, etc.), Singapore follows a technical-standard hybrid model, similar to the US and UK.
- The objective: protecting society – fostering competition – encouraging experimentation, reducing compliance costs by synchronizing with international standards instead of creating new legal barriers.
- Singapore has transformed its voluntary frameworks into practical tools like AI Verify (for AI trustworthiness testing) and Veritas (an ethics toolkit for finance), and also links to the US NIST framework via a “crosswalk” system to ensure international compatibility.
- The UK and Singapore also signed a cooperation agreement on AI safety and risk governance, while updating current laws:
- The Personal Data Protection Act (PDPA) added guidance on data used for AI.
- The Health Sciences Authority (HSA) regulated how laws apply to medical AI software.
- The Copyright Act was amended to allow the use of lawful materials for training AI models.
- Countries like Japan and South Korea are moving in a similar direction: encouraging innovation, but integrating mandatory ethical and safety standards to create a “trustworthy – competitive – flexible” environment.
- The author emphasizes: there is no perfect AI governance model, but common technical standards and interoperability between regulatory systems are key for businesses to operate across borders without increasing compliance costs.
📌 Singapore is positioning itself as a “pragmatic bridge” in the era of fragmented AI regulation – neither extreme like Europe nor centrally controlled like China. Guided by the philosophy “AI for public good – for Singapore and the world,” the nation prioritizes technical standards, social responsibility, and international competitiveness, becoming a reference model for smaller economies seeking sustainable and responsible AI development.
