SINGAPORE, May 20 - Singapore officials are in discussions with technology companies about adding consumer-facing "nutrition labels" to products that incorporate artificial intelligence, a senior minister said on Wednesday.
Digital development and information minister Josephine Teo said the labels would spell out intended uses and limitations for AI-enabled consumer applications, drawing an analogy to labeling used for food or medicine. "We may start with a voluntary framework, and then in time ... we’ll see how effective these kinds of labels are before deciding to take the next step," she said in an interview.
The proposed labels would aim to indicate the "right ways" and "not-so-correct ways" of using AI, according to Teo. She described the idea as potentially a global first if implemented, and said Singapore is also building testing frameworks and accrediting organisations to assess AI products.
Teo made the remarks on the sidelines of the Asia Tech x Singapore Summit. She said the government intends to support wider AI adoption, setting a target to assist 10,000 firms as usage expands across manufacturing, healthcare and finance.
Singapore has positioned itself as a neutral hub for AI activity, drawing interest from startups and larger firms from both the United States and China. On the same day, it was announced that Singapore will host OpenAI’s first Applied AI Lab outside the United States, backed by an investment of more than $234 million.
Separately, Google DeepMind unveiled a partnership with Singapore that covers education, healthcare and scientific research, following the opening of a new AI lab in the city-state in November.
Teo highlighted Singapore’s strengths that she considers relevant to building an AI hub, noting the country’s semiconductor equipment manufacturing sector, which supplies about 20% of global output. She added that the state is investing in research on energy-efficient AI at both the chip and algorithm levels to address power constraints.
The minister spoke ahead of planned discussions she will hold with digital ministers from other ASEAN member states and with U.S. Under Secretary of State for Economic Affairs Jacob Helberg. Representatives from China are also attending the summit, which Teo described as a rare forum where policymakers from both the United States and China regularly meet.
($1 = 1.2810 Singapore dollars)