On October 13, 2023, Singapore and the United States (US) announced at the inaugural Dialogue on Critical and Emerging Technologies (CET Dialogue) held in Washington DC, that they had launched the world’s first ever interoperable AI Governance framework.

The CET Dialogue was co-chaired by Singapore’s Minister for Communications and Information and Minister for Foreign Affairs, as well as the US National Security Advisor and Deputy Envoy for Critical and Emerging Technology, on behalf of US Secretary of State Antony Blinken. Both countries also co-chaired a Business Roundtable on AI Safety and Innovation, together with US Deputy Secretary of Commerce Don Graves.

The interoperable AI Governance framework is the result of a joint mapping of Singapore’s AI Verify and US National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST)’s AI Risk Management Framework (RMF). This is the first such exercise that one nation’s government has completed with another government counterpart.

Two other AI initiatives were also announced at the CET Dialogue:

• Firstly, Singapore and the US will launch an AI Governance Group to advance shared principles and deepen information exchanges for safe, trustworthy, and responsible AI innovation.
• Secondly, Singapore and the US will further develop joint programmes to promote research and technical collaborations with a focus on AI safety and security covering AI systems testing, validation, and certification, as well as the development of AI professionals.

The interoperability exercise has been lauded as a welcomed important step towards aligning international frameworks for the promotion of trustworthy and responsible AI innovation. It is hoped that this initiative will aid companies and offer greater clarity to meet the requirements within both frameworks, reduce compliance costs, and foster a more conducive environment for AI deployment and innovation.

Both nations also discussed ways to enhance information-sharing and consultations on AI security, safety, trust, and standards development, and to pursue opportunities for more public-private exchanges and partnerships.

The next CET Dialogue will be held in Singapore in 2024, where it is expected that Singapore and the US will take further steps towards propelling their strategic partnership with one another.

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