Singapore’s first AI-related data breach underscores the Catch-22 SMEs are in

ON OCT 1, 2026, it was reported that more than 95,000 customers’ e-mail addresses had been exposed, after an employee of Bee Cheng Hiang used an artificial intelligence tool to help generate code for a marketing e-mail programme.

The Personal Data Protection Commission’s investigation found that AI was used to assist with writing code that subsequently handled a local mailing list. The code was deployed without adequate testing and review.

Singapore’s first AI-related data breach shows the dilemma small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) face in AI adoption: The more capable AI becomes, the less realistic it is to expect non-technical employees to spot the underlying technical risks.