Existing safeguards by AI companies insufficient as models grow more capable: Josephine Teo

Existing safeguards by AI companies insufficient as models grow more capable: Josephine Teo Content filters, user verification and pre-release testing are among existing safeguards, but malicious users can bypass them by turning to openly available AI models, says the digital development and information minister. SINGAPORE: Safeguards put in place by frontier artificial intelligence (AI) companies are important but insufficient to address the risks posed by increasingly capable systems, said Minister for Digital Development and Information Josephine Teo on Friday (Oct 2). In a Facebook post, Mrs Teo said malicious users could misuse increasingly powerful AI to cause harm, such as by looking for weaknesses in computer systems, writing malicious code, automating parts of cyberattacks and making scams more convincing. Such safeguards include filtering content that could facilitate harm, limiting what AI models can access and do, testing models before release, verifying users, detecting misuse and suspending accounts that break their rules. "These safeguards are important, but insufficient. Malicious users can still turn to openly available models that can be downloaded and run independently by anyone, making it easier to bypass safeguards and hide misuse," said Mrs Teo. "At the same time, as AI becomes more capable of acting on our behalf, deliberate misuse is not the only concern. An AI system could also misunderstand an instruction, be tricked by malicious information, or take actions that its user or developer did not intend." Singapore therefore needs multiple lines of defence, including stronger cyber defences and a better understanding of what advanced AI systems are capable of, Mrs Teo added. MULTIPLE LINES OF DEFENCE Mrs Teo said many AI-related incidents today involve cyber threats. "There’s much more we can do to prevent our systems from being easy targets of attack. We must also become better at detecting attacks and recovering when they happen." This is especially important for government systems and essential services, where disruptions could have severe consequences for the public, she added. "We must carefully balance between convenience and security to ensure the quality of user experience does not come at the expense of effective safeguards." Mrs Teo noted that the Cyber Security Agency of Singapore (CSA) has issued guidance urging organisations to patch vulnerabilities, use strong authentication and tighten access controls to important systems. Organisations can also use AI defensively, such as to identify vulnerabilities before attackers do, she said. "In other words, just as attackers can use AI, so too can defenders. Even if an organisation does not have access to the most advanced AI models, it can already use available AI tools to improve its cyber defence." Safeguards become even more important when organisations give AI models access to their data, tools and processes, said Mrs Teo, noting that AI is increasingly being used to power agents that carry out tasks on behalf of humans. "An agent does not need to deliberately bypass its guardrails to cause harm. It might misunderstand an instruction, pursue a goal in ways its designers or users did not intend, be tricked by malicious information or simply be given too much authority or access to tools." For example, an AI agent used for online shopping could be tricked by malicious instructions on a website into making unintended purchases or revealing personal information, Mrs Teo said. "The bigger the potential impact of an AI-enabled action, the stronger the safeguards and human oversight should be." Mrs Teo also cited the Infocomm Media Development Authority's Model AI Governance Framework for Agentic AI, which sets out safeguards for organisations deploying such systems. These include limiting what an agent can access and do, requiring human approval for higher-risk actions, testing agentic systems before deployment and monitoring their actions. TESTING ADVANCED AI MODELS Singapore also needs to go "further upstream" to understand what increasingly capable AI models can do, their limitations and how they behave in different situations, said Mrs Teo. Singapore's AI Safety Institute is building the country's technical capabilities to evaluate advanced AI systems, together with international partners and third-party testers, she added. Mrs Teo said international collaboration on testing and evaluation would allow Singapore to pool expertise, compare findings and build a stronger shared understanding of emerging risks. She said Singapore was interested in working with leading scientific experts to develop stronger safeguards and technical standards to support policymakers, pointing to proposals in the Singapore Consensus on Global AI Safety Research Priorities report. Singapore also recently backed an international call initiated by Norway and Finland for stronger safeguards around frontier AI. "Whether the concern is deliberate misuse or unintended actions by increasingly autonomous AI, no single safeguard will be enough. We need a multi-layered approach comprising stronger cyber defences, clear limits on what AI can do, appropriate human oversight, and the capabilities to test, monitor and learn as the technology evolves," said Mrs Teo. "As AI becomes more capable and autonomous, so must our safeguards. It is the only way to build trust in AI as a technology that serves the public good."