Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong joined global leaders at the AI Safety Summit in the UK to discuss the risks and mitigation strategies associated with advanced Artificial Intelligence development
PRIME Minister Lee Hsien Loong of Singapore participated virtually in the Artificial Intelligence (AI) Safety Summit on 2nd November 2023, at the invitation of British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak. The summit, organized by the United Kingdom, from 1st to 2nd November 2023 at Bletchley Park, Buckinghamshire saw the international gathering of governments, leading AI companies, civil society groups, and research experts to deliberate on the risks posed by AI, particularly at the cutting edge of development, and how to address these risks through coordinated international efforts. Minister for Communications and Information Josephine Teo was in the UK, representing Singapore in person at the summit.
During the summit, PM Lee provided insights into Singapore’s pragmatic, risk-based approach towards AI development and deployment. He also emphasized the significance of involving a diverse range of stakeholders in discussions and collaborative efforts pertaining to AI safety.
| Prime Minister Lee also shared his thoughts on how Singapore can grapple with these emerging issues in a substantive posting on his social media channel. He wrote: “As we navigate our future with AI, it would be useful to bear three things in mind. First, we need to improve our understanding of ethical AI and how to promote it. Be it decisions made by self-driving cars or doctors relying on AI-generated diagnoses, the AI systems must be imbued with human context and human values. We welcome the UK’s new AI Safety Institute and its cooperation with Singapore on safety testing. Singapore has taken some small steps, such as introducing testing toolkits like AI Verify and evaluation sandboxes to mitigate these risks. Second, countries developing and deploying frontier AI need to work together. While competition is inevitable, we have to work together for mutual security. No one benefits when AI systems go rogue. Countries will ultimately need to establish some global understanding to make AI systems safer, and avoid AI creating strategic risks and instability. Third, all stakeholders should participate in shaping the rules and safeguards governing AI. While the main players are American, Chinese, and European, this conversation on AI safety cannot just be amongst the few. Small countries like Singapore too participate in AI research and deployment, and we too will certainly be affected by AI, including both its benefits as well as its risks and downsides. Singapore is honoured to work with international partners so that we can all reap the benefits of AI, and make AI a force for good contributing to our common prosperity.” |
Invitation note: The invitation from the UK follows the recent launch of the Singapore-UK Strategic Partnership by PM Lee and PM Sunak in September 2023. This partnership establishes a commitment between Singapore and the UK to actively engage in shaping international standards, frameworks, and guidelines for critical and emerging technologies, including AI.
