Singapore is reviewing how its rules should apply as AI agents become more autonomous, while monitoring international developments. The government says existing safeguards remain relevant; trials are also helping it assess responsible deployment and whether some higher-risk uses need stronger controls.
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Why agentic AI changes the risk picture
Unlike systems that only generate responses, AI agents can take actions and interact with external systems. That can increase the consequences of errors, particularly when an agent operates with less human oversight.
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The policy question is therefore not only what an AI system can do, but what it is permitted to access and do—and how people can oversee its actions. Tan has described the need to calibrate safeguards to risk, including the system’s autonomy, the sensitivity of the data and systems involved, and the potential harm.
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Existing rules remain in force as Singapore reviews them
Tan told Parliament that Singapore is examining how to adapt or strengthen its frameworks as agentic systems develop, while tracking international developments. The review does not mean existing requirements have been set aside.
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A parliamentary debate summary says existing cybersecurity, personal-data protection and critical-information-infrastructure frameworks already apply to agentic AI and are being reviewed.
35 Separate reporting says risk-management and incident-reporting rules continue to apply.
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Trials are part of the review—not proof of a new mandate
The government is running trials and experiments to understand how to implement AI agents responsibly.
23 The stated policy direction is risk-based: stronger safeguards may be appropriate where autonomy, system sensitivity or potential harm is greater.
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The available reporting describes possible tougher testing, deployment controls and oversight for essential services. It also says Singapore does not currently require frontier AI developers to provide models for pre-deployment evaluation. That points to a review of possible controls, not evidence that a universal pre-deployment testing mandate has been announced.
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What organisations should take from Tan’s warning
Tan’s message to businesses was that they should not wait for someone else to identify a breach. “We cannot just wait for other people to tell us that they are hacking us,” he said, emphasising that organisations—especially those responsible for critical information infrastructure—must take necessary safeguards.
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For organisations deploying agents, that means treating AI governance as part of existing security and risk management, rather than assuming that new technology makes established responsibilities disappear. The precise controls will depend on the use case and its potential consequences; the supplied reporting does not establish a single set of mandatory safeguards for every sector.
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