US-Singapore boost artificial intelligence ties, after small nation made earlier agreement with China
SYDNEY — Singapore, one of the world’s smaller countries but one of its most vigorous investors in artificial intelligence, has signed an agreement with the United States military to boost their AI efforts.
“Artificial intelligence is becoming increasingly vital in helping militaries secure a competitive edge in today’s digital battlefield,” Singapore’s Defense Minister Ng Eng Hen said during a visit to Washington. “I am glad both Singapore and the US are working closely together to accelerate and scale AI adoption in military applications.”
The data sharing between the US and Singapore could provide significant information about international shipping to better understand what’s happening in the region’s waterways, among other variables, said Bryan Clark, an expert on autonomous systems and navies at the Hudson Institute in Washington. “I think this could be important because the government of Singapore has a substantial research organization and probably has a valuable data set. It can gather a large amount of data on shipping flows, vessel movements, etc. in their region that could help train US AI models on South China Sea activity to help better understand what normal looks like and what could signify an anomaly.”