Artificial Intelligence (AI) is a force of technology that is reshaping societies and economies worldwide, especially in the last couple of years. Contending with the potential and pitfalls of this powerful tool is something that everyone, from governments to teachers to employees, grapple with today.
Singapore has stood out from the crowd by positioning itself at the forefront of AI development, integration, and regulation, distinguishing itself from other countries. In 2024, Singapore came in 5th globally and 1st in Asia in the
IMD Smart Cities Index, which focuses on how economic and technological aspects of cities impact quality of life, environment, and inclusiveness.
Constantly juggling strategic foresight and responsible innovation, the city-state navigates this complex (and as yet undefined) landscape by firmly anchoring itself in policies that prioritise governance and the safety and well-being of its citizens.
From Smart Nation to Smart Nation 2.0
Singapore started on its path to becoming a role model in AI policymaking well before 2022’s AI explosion. Singpass, the countrywide digital identity system, launched in 2003 and served as an early initiative that brought citizens and visa holders onto its infrastructure, pre-emptively laying the groundwork for digital transformation that happened years later.
The nation then launched the
Smart Nation Initiative in 2014, which “helps Singapore ride the wave of change and leverage digital technologies.” The initiative emphasised the improvement of citizens’ lives with digital products like e-payment services that helped “make daily activities more enjoyable in small but powerful ways.”
The initiative proliferated technological integration into different aspects of life — the
introduction of PayNow in 2018 was a primary example. The nationwide digital payment service enabled user-to-user or user-to-business instant fund transfers with nothing but a telephone number, making money even more fluid and easier to move around.
In 2024, Smart Nation 2.0 further sharpened the country’s digital vision. In the accompanying report, Prime Minister Lawrence Wong
commented on the importance of three key values, ‘Trust, Growth, and Community’, as core pillars of the new iteration.
He explains, “growth, because technology must empower our people and businesses to reach their full potential. Community, because we must use technology to unify, not divide. And Trust, because Singaporeans must be able to go online with confidence, knowing that their wellbeing is not compromised.”
Levelling the field in a rapidly changing landscape
Singapore’s focus on the responsible development of AI is powered by the constant balancing act between the pursuit of technological advancement and ensuring societal benefits.
Speaking at the 2024 Festival of Ideas hosted by Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy,
Associate Professor Eduardo Araral commented on the risks of AI-manipulated information and deepfakes.
Professor Araral discussed the phenomenon of misinformation, and observed that the amplification and speed at which such content is created and spread fuels the very narratives that are designed to manipulate democracies and society. He also noted that “this content is not just textual; images are also generated, which stirs emotional responses — a far deeper impact.”
Dialogue about the threats and risks of AI have ranged from job displacement to privacy threats, and span from concerns around model quality and fairness, to deep fears around the loss of control and existential risks. These considerations spurred the government to launch the
Model AI Governance Framework, which guides the use and development of generative AI.
The framework was introduced in 2019 and refined in 2024 to “address novel risks…(and) establish clear responsibilities for actors across the AI supply chain”, and included updated responses to fairness, transparency, and accountability.
The feasibility of importing Singapore’s AI policymaking
Singapore's commitment to AI innovation is evidenced by its continued partnerships with tech companies and research institutions. Its comprehensive, overarching approaches aim to harmonise AI advancements with ethical considerations and citizen engagement — a circumstance many other nations also hope for.
That being said, how Singapore embraces digital transformation might not apply to others because:
- Singapore is a small city-state with a single layer of government. The city-state can coordinate its AI initiatives and implement national-scale transformations more nimbly and quickly than larger, more decentralised countries.
- Singapore's AI strategy heavily relies on robust digital infrastructure and strong public-private sector partnerships. Government investments in cutting-edge digital infrastructure over the last decade — an essential ingredient for AI development — make this challenging for countries that lack these resources to emulate.
- Singapore's culture values efficiency, technological advancement, and has trust in its government. Others may face much greater public scepticism, privacy concerns, or resistance to scaled AI adoption.
Acknowledging drawbacks
That’s not to say that Singapore doesn’t face its own problems in scaling AI. Professor Araral comments, “Singapore’s relatively small population becomes a hindrance to its competitiveness as an AI hub. Gathering a ‘critical mass of AI experts’ is proving to be a challenge as larger nations have more resources or economies of scale that work to their advantage.”
Even as Singapore equips itself with the best computing technology, Professor Araral notes that many countries tend to take a nationalistic stance when it comes to sharing their tech and data, as well as the need to choose between Western and Chinese hardware and platforms.
Singapore’s unwavering ambition has clearly acknowledged its limitations when it comes to economies of scale. Its endeavours in the AI space have largely been products that have “specific use cases with a big payoff.”
Noting the prevalence of diabetes in Singapore, Professor Araral pointed to the example of the
Singapore Eye Lesion Analyser, (SELENA+) a deep-learning AI software system that can be used to detect signs of diabetic retinopathy disease to establish his point about Singapore’s AI strategy.
Focusing on the greater good
As AI evolves, Singapore's journey will continue inspiring the world. While its methods and approaches are not ‘plug-and-play’ nor widely adopted, its big ambitions and notable outputs invariably serve as guidance, or perhaps even the North Star, for others.