Artificial Intelligence and Digital Trust

Singapore is a country at the forefront of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Digital Trust, two fields that seek to enable societies, governments, and businesses to make better use of data in a trusted manner. Both these fields enjoy strong government support, with several new efforts to further innovation and deployment and a measured and pragmatic regulatory approach.

A significant development in AI governance was Singapore’s Model Artificial Intelligence Governance Framework, which came in first in the “Ethical Dimensions of the Information Society” category at the annual World Summit on the Information Society held in Geneva, Switzerland in 2019. Singapore’s Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA) and Personal Data Protection Commission (PDPC) subsequently launched AI Verify, the world’s first AI Governance Testing Framework and Toolkit, at the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting in Davos, Switzerland in May 2022. 

Singapore has also taken the lead in AI best practices in the region with the issuance of 2 ASEAN AI Governance and Ethics Guides (2024, 2025) in collaboration with the 9 other ASEAN members. Both Guides are modelled on Singapore’s AI governance frameworks.   

As AI technology is a fast-moving and fast-evolving field, Singapore regulators regularly issue and update guidance materials to assist the industry in their use of AI and develop checklists and toolkits for organisations to assess how their AI systems measure up against internationally-accepted AI governance principles. For organisations, keeping up isn’t optional – it’s essential.The Singapore Government has also launched the National Digital Trust Centre in June 2022, with funding from IMDA and the National Research Foundation, to spearhead Singapore’s research and development efforts in key areas of trust technologies including, for example, Privacy Enhancing Technologies (PETs). The private sector has also been very active in this field, with a leading trade association hosting the world’s first Digital Trust Forum in Singapore in October 2022.

Our team comprises well-established technology and regulatory lawyers with extensive experience in their respective fields and diverse professional backgrounds (covering private practice, industry and the public sector). When required, we also tap on the technical expertise of our in-house senior cybersecurity and privacy engineer (who also works closely with our Data Protection, Privacy & Cybersecurity practice).

Our clients span the entire AI ecosystem - from foundation model developers to legal technology companies leveraging these foundation models, to companies developing their own AI solutions or procuring them from other companies. We also advise companies looking to procure the high-performance computing resources (GPUs) required for training AI models whether for their own use or for third-party use.

We have advised our clients on compliance with Singapore laws and regulatory frameworks relating to AI, data governance and processing of data, and drafted/reviewed the necessary contractual documents for them for procuring or providing the AI solution. We have also advised on various intellectual property and liability issues arising that may arise from the use of AI in the workplace (for example, in assessment and decision-making) and to produce work product such as marketing materials, images and code for software applications.

AI and Digital Trust are exciting, developing spaces, with laws and regulatory frameworks that continue to evolve, both domestically and internationally — and we are fully equipped to advise you on the following:

• legal, regulatory and governance issues relating to the development and deployment of AI in your organisation, including compliance with applicable laws, development and implementation of internal governance frameworks and addressing related ethical issues and risks
• implementing Singapore’s Model Artificial Intelligence Governance Framework, and other guidelines or legislation on the use of AI
• drafting and reviewing contracts for procuring or supplying AI-related technology and related services
• IP protection strategies for AI innovations
• Procuring the computing resources (e.g., GPUs) for AI model development

We also provide customised training sessions for companies on legal, governance and ethical issues arising from AI use. The training can be tailored for any level, from procurement teams to the C-suite. We have worked with companies across different industries (e.g. insurance, hospitality, retail) to deliver such customised trainings.

Our team monitors legal developments in AI governance and regulation around the world. We have developed a series of articles on AI-related topics, including an explainer of Singapore’s Model AI Governance Framework and addressing how AI is regulated, or may interact with, other fields.

Working together with Drew Academy, we provide solutions that reflect our deep understanding of underlying technologies, the risks and uncertainties involved and practical business considerations.

For more information about our publications on AI (and other technology topics), please visit the Drew Academy’s webpage at www.drewnapier.com/Academy/Artificial-Intelligence.

Our team has also contributed articles in the following publications:

• Lexology: Artificial Intelligence 2024, available here.
• The Legal 500: Artificial Intelligence Comparative Guide 2024 (Singapore), available here.
• The Legal 500: Artificial Intelligence Comparative Guide 2023 (Singapore), available here.
• Chambers Global Practice Guides – Artificial Intelligence 2024 (Singapore) available here.
• Chambers Global Practice Guides – Artificial Intelligence 2023 (Singapore) available here.
• Global Legal Insights: AI, Machine Learning & Big Data Laws and Regulations 2024, available here. 
• Global Legal Insights: AI, Machine Learning & Big Data Laws and Regulations 2023, available here. 
• Global Legal Insights: AI, Machine Learning & Big Data Laws and Regulations 2022, available here.