The key priorities of nations in the age of the digital economy include the responsible use of artificial intelligence (AI), cyber security and connectivity. Touching on this crucial issue last week, Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Lawrence Wong drew attention to the transformative role that AI could play in the economic evolution of Singapore, which has never been shy to embrace the accelerative role of technology in its journey from penury to success. But the stakes are higher today. While AI could shake up the digital economy, it also possesses biases that could compromise its decision-making, with serious implications for societies. Ensuring the ethics of AI usage, therefore, is crucial to its future, as beneficial technology acts as a force multiplier in social and economic relations.

Explaining AI’s importance, Minister for Communications and Information Josephine Teo has compared it to electricity. Electricity by itself brings humans little benefit, but when it is used to power appliances and equipment, people gain so much more by way of convenience, productivity and capabilities, she said recently. Likewise, AI – which is the power of human-like intelligence and potentially a very high form of it, at far reduced cost – benefits Singapore, which depends on human capital, Mrs Teo added. Just as the improper use of appliances and equipment can cause electrocution, the inappropriate use of AI can do great harm. Hence the need to harness it within guard rails necessary for its safe design and responsible use.