AI deployed to detect cargo anomalies, scams : Teo

About 70% of Singapore's public officers now regularly use AI tools.

Singapore is using artificial intelligence (AI) to identify anomalies in millions of cargo shipments, combat scams, and help public officers work better, Minister for Digital Development and Information Josephine Teo said.

Almost 70% of public officers now regularly use AI tools to analyse information and prepare drafts, whilst remaining accountable for final decisions, Teo said at a United Nations General Assembly platform.

Machine-learning systems route residents' feedback to the relevant government agencies. At Singapore's borders, AI is used to flag anomalies among millions of cargo shipments.

The technology also detects signs of phishing and impersonation as part of the country's efforts to combat scams.

Separately, the government is working to widen AI access across Southeast Asia, where Teo said many AI models have a weak understanding of local languages, accents and cultural contexts.

AI Singapore has built SEA-LION, an open AI model designed around Southeast Asian languages and cultures, including multilingual speech and code-switching.

In addition, it is working with the Gates Foundation, Google, and the United Nations Development Programme on Project ATLAS, an effort to build AI-ready datasets for underrepresented languages.

"Countries should not all have to build frontier models," Teo said. "But we should be supported to adapt AI to our own languages, cultures, and needs."

Singapore is sharing its digital experience with other small states through the Digital Pillar of the Forum of Small States, a community of 108 small countries.

Teo pointed to three lessons from Singapore's AI rollout: deploy AI for practical impact, build public trust for sustained use, and broaden participation so more communities benefit.

"The success of AI should not be measured by how powerful our machines become," she said. "It should be measured by how many people are empowered by them."