Two sandboxes have been introduced in Singapore to facilitate the development and testing of generative artificial intelligence (AI) applications for government agencies and businesses.
These sandboxes will be powered by Google Cloud's generative AI toolsets, including the Vertex AI platform, low-code developer tools, and graphical processing units (GPUs). Google will also provide pre-trained generative AI models, which include their language model Palm, AI models from partners, and open-source alternatives.
The initiative is a result of a partnership agreement between the Singapore government and Google Cloud to establish an AI Government Cloud Cluster. The purpose of this cloud platform is to promote AI adoption in the public sector.
The two sandboxes will be provided at no cost for three months and will be available for up to 100 use cases or organizations. Selection for access to the sandboxes will occur through a series of workshops over 100 days, where participants will receive training from Google Cloud engineers to identify suitable use cases for generative AI.
The government sandbox will be administered by the Smart Nation and Digital Government Office (SNDGO), while the sandbox for local businesses will be managed by Digital Industry Singapore (DISG).
Singapore has been actively pursuing its national AI strategy since 2019, with over 4,000 researchers currently contributing to AI research. However, the challenge lies in translating this research into practical applications across different industries. The introduction of these sandboxes aims to address potential issues related to data, security, and responsible AI implementation.
Karan Bajwa, Google Cloud's Asia-Pacific vice president, emphasized the need for a different approach when deploying generative AI within organizations, requiring robust governance and data security. It is crucial to calibrate and fine-tune AI models for specific industries to ensure optimal performance and cost-effectiveness.
Several organizations, including the Ministry of Manpower, GovTech, American Express, PropertyGuru Group, and Tokopedia, have already signed up to participate in the sandbox initiatives.
GovTech, the public sector's CIO office, is leveraging generative AI for its virtual intelligence chat assistant platform (Vica). By using generative AI, GovTech has reduced training hours significantly and achieved more natural responses for its chatbots.
During a panel discussion at the launch, Jimmy Ng, CIO and head of group technology and operations at DBS Bank, emphasized the importance of training AI models with quality data to mitigate risks associated with large language models learning from publicly available data.
Overall, the introduction of these sandboxes is seen as a positive step to foster responsible AI development and application in Singapore's public and private sectors.