Singapore – Singapore is exploring whether the internet’s existing website verification systems can be repurposed to track autonomous artificial intelligence (AI) agents, as it weighs whether a dedicated national registry is needed, The Straits Times reported.
Specifically, the Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA) is working with technology firms to explore adapting the Domain Name System (DNS), often called the internet’s address book. The aim is to identify and verify AI agents across different platforms and organisations.
Jasmin Lau, Senior Minister of State for Digital Development and Information, set out the Government’s approach on 4 November.
“Our approach is therefore to work with industry to find out what works in practice, build on existing infrastructure and emerging international standards, and step in with common standards or infrastructure where there are gaps that industry cannot fill on its own,” said Lau.
She then linked the work to the question of a national registry. “This will inform our assessment of whether additional common infrastructure, including a national registry, is needed,” she told Parliament.
Lau was responding to an adjournment motion tabled the same day by Tin Pei Ling (Marine Parade-Braddell Heights GRC). The motion proposed that the Government consider building a national digital identity infrastructure for AI agents.
Tin suggested the infrastructure take the form of an open and trusted registry. Any entity could check an agent’s identity, and what it is authorised to do, against that registry.
She likened the proposal to Singpass, but for AI agents. According to Tin, the proposal comes amid increasing AI agent autonomy in daily work and e-commerce. She said this requires new ways of governance.
