Threat Assessment of Coordinated Deepfake or Synthetic Media Campaigns that Target Singapore Given Advances in GenAI

Dr Choo Pei Ling asked the Minister for Digital Development and Information (i) whether the Government assesses that advances in generative AI have materially increased the risk of coordinated deepfake or synthetic media campaigns targeting Singapore; and (ii) how Singapore's national detection and response capabilities are being strengthened to mitigate such risks.

The Government shares the Member's concern that generative AI can be exploited by bad actors to spread falsehoods, conduct hostile information operations and manipulate public opinion through convincing deepfakes produced at scale.

We have introduced safeguards to moderate these risks. The Protection from Online Falsehoods and Manipulation Act allows the Government to correct AI-generated falsehoods against the public interest and counteract coordinated inauthentic behaviour. Under the Broadcasting Act, the Infocomm Media Development Authority can direct online communication services to disable Singapore users' access to egregious content, including content that is AI-generated. Our elections laws prohibit deepfakes that misrepresent election candidates. The Foreign Interference (Countermeasures) Act also provides the Government with powers to deal with AI-generated online content or accounts that are part of a hostile information campaign, such as by preventing such content from being viewed in Singapore.

We employ a variety of detection tools and techniques, from commercial products to in-house technology, and continuously review our capabilities to detect and respond to malicious AI-generated content. We also set up the Centre for Advanced Technologies in Online Safety to strengthen Singapore's technological capabilities to combat online harms and threats.

These efforts are extensive but not enough. We also need our citizens to be vigilant and discerning. This is why we continue with public education initiatives, such as through the National Library Board's S.U.R.E. (Source, Understand, Research, Evaluate) programme. Ahead of the 2025 General Elections, the Ministry of Home Affairs also launched a public education campaign that highlighted how deepfake videos and AI-generated posts had been used in influence operations targeting other countries.