DAVOS, Switzerland – Singapore has proposed a new governance framework for generative artificial intelligence and is seeking international feedback on it.
The new Model AI Governance Framework for Generative AI builds on an existing framework from 2019 that covers only traditional AI, and comes at a time when the generative AI scene is still developing.
The framework, developed by the AI Verify Foundation and Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA), is part of Singapore’s contribution to the global conversation in this space, said Minister for Communications and Information Josephine Teo on Jan 16.
Speaking to The Straits Times in Davos, Switzerland, where she is attending the World Economic Forum annual meeting, Mrs Teo said AI governance cannot be done only at the country level.
“Our contribution to the global conversation is partly why we have chosen the World Economic Forum to be the launch pad for the updated framework and to seek international inputs,” she said.
“It’s also partly because this field is so nascent. We believe that in order to make progress, somebody has to offer something, put it on the table, and then the global conversation can be further enriched.”
The framework – termed the MGF-GenAI – is expected to be finalised in mid-2024.
Mrs Teo added that the progress of this framework was in parallel with that of the National AI Strategy 2.0 launched in December 2023.
Examples of generative AI include popular content creation tools such as ChatGPT and Midjourney, while traditional AI include tools that can predict fraud, diseases and employee flight risks.
The new framework, which is meant to be quite comprehensive, identifies nine key dimensions of AI governance, such as accountability and security, as well as testing and assurance, said Mrs Teo.
It builds on efforts such as a discussion paper by IMDA in 2023 on the risks associated with greater use of generative AI, as well as work to provide guidance on the safety evaluation of generative AI models and ongoing evaluation tests on AI products, said IMDA in a statement on Jan 16.
While Singapore is not the only one contributing to the global discussion, the practical ways in which the country has approached AI governance – including the development of a testing toolkit like AI Verify – have led to the Republic being well regarded as pragmatic and forward-thinking, said Mrs Teo.
AI Verify is a toolkit meant to help organisations validate the performance of their AI systems against internationally recognised AI governance principles such as safety, reproducibility and transparency.
The AI Verify Foundation, set up by IMDA in 2023, lists companies such as Google, IBM, Microsoft and Salesforce among its members.
When asked how lessons learnt from the original framework shaped the new one, Mrs Teo said that when the 2019 version was launched, different sectors such as financial services and healthcare built on top of it to develop something specific to them.
MGF-GenAI will likely see a similar path, as different sectors will use generative AI in their own ways and have to find an expression of governance most suited to their circumstances, she said.
