Singapore Deepens AI Collaboration with the U.S.

A significant milestone in artificial intelligence collaboration was reached as U.S. Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo and Singapore’s Minister for Communications and Information Josephine Teo co-led a Roundtable on AI.

The roundtable highlighted a bilaterally coordinated fact sheet that reflects shared interests in deepening cooperation in critical and emerging technologies (CET). This document outlines shared principles and objectives related to AI and sets the stage for future collaboration between the U.S. Department of Commerce and Singapore’s Ministry of Communications and Information (MCI).

In her address, Minister Josephine Teo highlighted the growing partnership between the United States and Singapore in digital infrastructure, AI innovation, and skills development. AI, including generative AI, presents new opportunities to enhance economic and social welfare, digital inclusion, and socially beneficial research and scientific discovery. Both governments recognise AI’s potential to support competitive and environmentally sustainable economic growth and to foster fair and competitive markets.

Anchored by robust economic linkages, nearly 6,000 U.S. companies operate in Singapore, and bilateral trade supports approximately 250,000 jobs in the U.S. Investment in AI is significant, with U.S. companies’ current and committed capital investments in partnership with local Singapore entities exceeding SG$ 50 billion (US$ 37 billion).

These investments include establishing AI Centres of Excellence aligned with Singapore’s National AI Strategy 2.0 and supporting the TechSkills Accelerator (TeSA) initiative to upskill over 130,000 workers in Singapore.

However, the rapid proliferation of AI also brings challenges that need to be addressed. To fully realise AI’s benefits, both countries have overseen the development of frameworks for the safe, secure, and trustworthy development of AI technologies.

The U.S. National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has developed the AI Risk Management Framework, while the Singapore Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA) has developed AI Verify. These frameworks, now mapped between the two countries, aim to ensure that AI technologies are trustworthy and safe.

Recognising the importance of trustworthiness, both countries emphasise AI governance that includes international standards and principles such as explainability, transparency, accountability, fairness, inclusivity, robustness, reproducibility, security, safety, data governance, human-AI configuration, inclusive growth, and societal and environmental well-being.

Moving forward, Commerce and MCI are committed to advancing an inclusive and forward-looking agenda for economic growth through AI. They plan to:

• Continue cooperation through NIST and IMDA by exchanging best practices and information on AI governance frameworks, addressing generative AI, and exploring cooperation on testing, guidelines, and benchmarks.
• Facilitate collaboration between the U.S. AI Safety Institute and Singapore’s Digital Trust Centre to advance the science of AI safety, forming a crucial linkage in a global network of AI safety institutions.
• Engage in activities that support the responsible design, development, deployment, and evaluation of AI technologies, and encourage commercial opportunities, international standards development, research cooperation, workforce development, and industry cooperation.

Additionally, Commerce and IMDA are launching a new AI Talent Bridge programme. This initiative will expand on the U.S.-Singapore Women in Tech Partnership Programme to deepen collaboration in critical emerging technology, focusing on supporting youth, women, and future tech leaders.

The strong cooperation on AI between Commerce and MCI complements ongoing bilateral efforts, such as the U.S.-Singapore Partnership for Growth and Innovation and the AI Governance Group established under the U.S.-Singapore CET Dialogue. These efforts align with the development of a bilateral Roadmap for Digital Economic Cooperation, which includes AI among other priorities.

The countries also aim to share their learnings and best practices regionally and support broader international AI governance efforts through bodies like the ASEAN AI Roadmap and the ASEAN Guide on AI Governance and Ethics, endorsed during Singapore’s ASEAN Digital Chairmanship.

This collaboration marks a pivotal moment in the U.S.-Singapore relationship, strengthening their partnership in the rapidly evolving field of AI and setting a precedent for future technological and economic cooperation.