Singapore to invest in AI public goods as 2027 ASEAN chair: Teo

The plan covers language models and capacity-building.

Singapore will invest more in shared artificial intelligence (AI) public goods when it assumes the chairmanship for ASEAN in 2027, said Minister for Digital Development and Information Josephine Teo.

Such goods include language models, governance toolkits, and capacity-building programmes, Teo said in a keynote address at the Asia Economic Summit in Jakarta, Indonesia.

Singapore will also help micro, small and medium enterprises, workers, and governments use AI more effectively.

“Third, we will deepen cross-border data flow mechanisms and align AI governance approaches across our region,” she added.

Teo cited SEA-LION, or Southeast Asian Languages in One Network, as an example of a digital public good that can support AI adoption in the region. 

The open-source model has recorded more than 200,000 downloads, with companies across Southeast Asia building products on top of it.

She said Southeast Asia is well-positioned to expand AI adoption, with the region’s data centre capacity expected to more than triple between 2025 and 2030.

“We will build on the Philippines’ good work to advance our shared AI priorities,” she said. “This is not just Singapore’s agenda. This is ASEAN’s agenda.”