While many countries around the world are rushing to regulate AI, Singapore is taking a different path, opting for flexible frameworks that guide innovation rather than control it.
Despite its progressive stance, in 2024 the country has yet to implement specific laws or regulations directly governing AI technology.
Instead, the region relies on a series of frameworks and guidelines aimed at promoting responsible AI development while allowing innovation to flourish.
This deliberate decision reflects the Singaporean government's strategy to nurture innovation while ensuring ethical AI development.
To support this delicate balance, Singapore has introduced a series of frameworks and tools that offer guidance without imposing legal constraints. Among these, the Model AI Governance Framework, AI Verify, and the National Artificial Intelligence Strategy (NAIS 2.0) are the most prominent. These frameworks, though comprehensive, remain advisory rather than enforceable by law.
The Model AI Governance Framework, first introduced in 2019 and updated in 2020, provides detailed guidance to private sector organisations on ethical and governance issues related to AI deployment.
It serves as a blueprint for responsible AI usage without the binding power of law.
Complementing this is AI Verify, a governance testing toolkit developed by the Infocomm Media Development Authority of Singapore (IMDA). AI Verify helps organisations validate their AI systems against ethical principles through standardised tests. However, like the Model AI Governance Framework, it is not legally enforceable, leaving companies to voluntarily adopt its recommendations.
While the recommendations remain voluntary, many companies are incentivised to adopt these frameworks as part of broader global best practices.
To further support responsible AI development, the IMDA has established the AI Verify Foundation (AIVF), a not-for-profit organisation that brings together expertise from the private sector and the global open-source community. The foundation's mission is to develop AI testing frameworks, standards, and best practices, but these efforts, like the others, remain advisory rather than regulatory.
Singapore's National Artificial Intelligence Strategy (NAIS 2.0), first launched in 2019 and updated in 2023, outlines the country's vision for AI. It is designed to create a trusted and responsible AI ecosystem that drives innovation and economic growth while empowering people and businesses to engage with AI. Yet, like the other frameworks, it stops short of imposing legal obligations.
NAIS 2.0 focuses on three key areas: industry, people, and infrastructure.
It emphasises the need for talent development, a trusted environment for AI adoption, and establishing Singapore as a leader in AI thought and action.
The rapid rise of generative AI has introduced new challenges, prompting the IMDA and AIVF to draft a new Model AI Governance Framework for Generative AI. With the surge in generative AI technologies, Singapore is already taking proactive steps by inviting public input on the forthcoming framework.
This draft, currently under public consultation, seeks to address the unique ethical and safety issues posed by generative AI technologies, a move that could set the stage for more defined regulations.
As AI technologies continue to evolve, Singapore's flexible yet focused approach to governance could serve as a model for other nations navigating the complex landscape of innovation and ethics.
