SINGAPORE: The Government Technology Agency of Singapore (GovTech) is collaborating with artificial intelligence research laboratory Google DeepMind to develop real-time detection of AI scams on devices, Minister for Digital Development and Information Josephine Teo said on Wednesday (Oct 14).
Mrs Teo, who is also the minister-in-charge of cybersecurity and smart nation group, said the collaboration could provide stronger protection while preserving privacy.
“If our devices can recognise signs of manipulation early, we can help potential victims avoid financial or credential loss, while keeping their personal messages on their devices,” she said.
Speaking at the Singapore International Cyber Week at the Sands Expo and Convention Centre, she said the fight against scams has become “harder to win” because of artificial intelligence.
“Our response should not be to turn away from AI because scammers misuse it. Instead, we must tune up our defences and make them better,” she said, adding that Singapore must coordinate its responses more tightly as scammers deploy their tactics across multiple systems.
A victim may first encounter a scam on social media, move to a messaging platform, receive a phone call and transfer money through a financial institution, said Mrs Teo. Each stage offers a chance to intervene, but no single defender sees the whole chain.
“It is therefore not enough to make every organisation better at stopping scams. We must also connect our defences so that a single signal detected on one part of the ecosystem can trigger action elsewhere.”
At the same time, AI can be used to detect threats at scale, she said. For example, the Scam Analytics and Tactical Intervention System by GovTech and the Singapore Police Force uses AI to scan and assess more than 600,000 websites every day, each in a matter of seconds.
It disrupts around 20,000 malicious websites every month, and has expanded to include mobile numbers and online platforms that are suspicious.
This allows Singapore to find and act on threats at a speed and scale that human effort alone cannot match, Mrs Teo said.
QUANTUM THREATS
Singapore should also pay close attention to quantum-related risks, said Mrs Teo.
Quantum computing uses the principles of quantum physics to solve complex problems. While it holds “enormous promise”, sufficiently powerful quantum computers could eventually break some of the cryptography protecting financial transactions, sensitive communications and digital systems, she said.
“We do not know when this will happen. But we know we must prepare for it. Bad actors are already motivated to steal sensitive encrypted data while waiting for quantum computers to decrypt them in future,” she said.
For larger organisations, migrating to quantum-safe solutions can take several years. They must assess risks, prioritise systems and data, and identify where current encryption can be broken.
They also need to work with technology suppliers, test alternative methods of encryption and progressively migrate their systems, she said.
In June, the Cyber Security Agency of Singapore (CSA) issued guidance on migration milestones for owners of critical information infrastructure, or computer systems that provide essential services. They are expected to complete migration by 2031.
The agency previously identified energy, water, banking and finance, healthcare, transport, infocomm, media, security and emergency services, and government as sectors with such systems.
Mrs Teo said Singapore will issue guidance for other organisations to work towards quantum-safe migration by 2035. These include organisations whose exposure to the quantum threat could have serious consequences, she said.
For example, organisations that hold sensitive information that must remain confidential for many years, and those that provide critical services such as communications or digital transactions where maintaining integrity and confidentiality of information are essential.
A new quantum-safe kickstarter grant will also fund organisations to move from planning to implementation. The time-bound seed funding will help them identify implementation challenges, test quantum-safe solutions in real operating environments and build the experience needed for migration at scale.
The grant is open to all organisations, with priority for owners of critical information infrastructure systems. It will run from Nov 1 to Oct 31, 2027, with each funded pilot lasting up to six months.
Organisations may undertake pilots in-house or work with suitable solution providers, CSA said. Priority will go to use cases that address common migration challenges, including migrating an application or system from end to end and cryptographic discovery and inventory.
Mrs Teo said neither scams nor quantum threats can be solved by the government alone, or by any country on its own.
“Staying ahead depends not only on what we can build ourselves, but what we can pool together through mutual support,” she said.