Singapore wins top international award for AI governance/ethics initiatives

Singapore’s initiatives in Artificial Intelligence (AI) Governance and Ethics won the top award at the prestigious World Summit in Geneva, Switzerland, 9 April 2019.  The country won in the “Ethical Dimensions of the Information Society” category, beating four other finalists across the globe.

“The Advisory Council congratulates Singapore’s win. This award affirms Singapore’s balanced and pragmatic approach towards AI governance. We look forward to working further with the Singapore Government in forming strong guidance which enables innovation while protecting consumer interests,” Mr. V K Rajah SC, Chairman of the Advisory Council on the Ethical Use of AI and Data said with triumph.

In like manner, Minister for Communications and Information Mr. S Iswaran remarked, “Singapore’s win of the WSIS Award is affirmation of our approach that AI practices must be transparent, explainable and fair.

“These are important principles that will guide businesses in implementing AI solutions that are human-centric, while spurring innovation in a digital economy.”

Singapore’s AI Governance and Ethics initiatives aim to build an ecosystem of trust to support AI adoption. These include: (1) Asia’s first Model AI Governance Framework released in January 2019; (2) an international and industry-led Advisory Council on the Ethical Use of AI and Data formed in June 2018; and (3) a Research Programme on the Governance of AI and Data Use established in partnership with the Singapore Management University in September 2018.

These initiatives advance Singapore’s vision to be a leading Digital Economy and Smart Nation through balancing business innovation and consumer trust and confidence in adopting AI.

The WSIS Prizes recognises outstanding digital projects globally, which foster socioeconomic development across categories such as e-government, e-environment, e-science and media, and ethics in IT.

Info-communications Media Development Authority (IMDA) Assistant Chief Executive (Data Protection and Innovation) Yeong Zee Kin received the prize at the ceremony in Geneva.

/TISG