'Who answers for AI agents?' Singapore working on safeguards as adoption grows, says Jasmin Lau

Singapore is working with industry, regulators and international partners to develop safeguards and standards that can support the wider adoption of artificial intelligence (AI) agents, said Senior Minister of State for Digital Development and Information Jasmin Lau in Parliament on Wednesday (Nov 4).Marine Parade-Braddell Heights MP Tin Pei Ling had raised an Adjournment Motion on a national digital identity infrastructure for AI agents.She proposed a registry that would allow different parties to verify an agent's identity and mandate. Responding to Tin, Lau said trust is crucial as AI agents become increasingly capable of carrying out tasks on behalf of individuals and organisations.Unlike conventional AI applications that mainly generate information or recommendations, AI agents can interact with different systems and complete increasingly complex tasks with varying levels of autonomy. Lau said the Government supports the objectives behind the proposal and wants to ensure AI agents can operate securely across different platforms and organisations without creating separate "walled gardens", as referenced by Tin.