Singapore – Singapore’s Minister for Communications and Information, Mrs Josephine Teo, unveiled AI Verify Project Moonshot, an innovative toolkit designed to tackle security and safety challenges inherent in the use of large language models (LLMs), at the ATxAI conference, part of Asia Tech x Singapore (ATxSG) 2024.

Project Moonshot is one of the world’s first open-source tools integrating red-teaming, benchmarking, and baseline testing into an accessible platform, showcasing Singapore’s commitment to leveraging global open-source community efforts to mitigate AI risks.

Currently in open beta, Project Moonshot aims to provide clear and understandable assessments of model or application quality and safety, even for non-technical users. Developed in collaboration with industry leaders like DataRobot, IBM, Singtel, and Temasek, the tool is tailored to meet industry needs.

“IBM is pleased to be a design partner and contributor to AI Verify Moonshot. This new tool is significant as it helps developers and data scientists test their LLM applications against a baseline of risks, thereby accelerating AI adoption. We look forward to working closely with IMDA to develop appropriate open standards through our contributions,” said Anup Kumar, Distinguished Engineer, CTO Data & AI, Head Client Engineering Asia Pacific, IBM.

Jay Schuren, Chief Customer Officer at DataRobot, added, “DataRobot is thrilled to partner with IMDA to make LLM evaluation more accessible. Integrating Project Moonshot into the DataRobot AI Platform allows AI builders to confidently and responsibly scale generative AI within their organizations.”

Project Moonshot also marks a significant step toward global testing standards. AI Verify Foundation and MLCommons, two leading AI testing organizations, have collaborated to build a common safety benchmark suite. On 29 May, they signed a memorandum of intent (MOI) to create globally accepted safety testing standards for generative AI.

“We are proud that AI Verify Foundation and MLCommons are coming together to support common testing benchmarks for AI safety, building on innovative efforts like Project Moonshot. This collaboration will positively impact AI safety by providing model and application developers with a globally accepted approach to safety testing,” said Peter Mattson, MLCommons President and co-chair of the AI Safety working group.

In conjunction with the launch of Project Moonshot, the AI Verify Foundation (AIVF) celebrated its first anniversary. Since its inception in June 2023, AIVF has doubled its membership to over 120, including new premier members Amazon Web Services (AWS) and Dell. The foundation has expanded its focus from AI testing tooling to developing trust-enhancing AI safety products, such as the Model AI Governance Framework for Generative AI.

At the anniversary celebration held on 30 May, Dr Ong Chen Hui, Chair of the Governing Committee at AIVF, highlighted feedback from users on the need for AI Verify to align with emerging standards and cater to sector-specific testing. In response, she announced the completion of AI Verify’s mapping with ISO 42001 and its integration with MAS’ Veritas toolkit.

Championing Women in Tech in Southeast Asia

Minister Teo also participated in a panel at the Women and Youth in Tech event, where she unveiled findings from an IMDA and Boston Consulting Group (BCG) joint report titled “Closing Tech’s Gender Gap in Southeast Asia.” The report, which surveyed over 4,000 individuals across Singapore, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Thailand, and Vietnam, revealed that 83% of women in the tech sector are satisfied with their jobs, and 70% believe their companies have initiatives to improve the recruitment, retention, and advancement of women—up from 49% in 2020. Singapore leads the region with 40% of women in technology roles, demonstrating significant strides in gender diversity and inclusion.

Minister Teo reiterated Singapore’s commitment to nurturing and supporting women in tech through initiatives like the SG Women in Tech (SGWIT) movement, the Singapore 100 Women in Tech list, and the TechSkills Accelerator (TeSA). These programs help women acquire in-demand skills and return to technical roles after career breaks, contributing to Singapore’s leadership in female representation in tech in Southeast Asia.

Other Key Highlights at ATxSG

Global Consultation on Digital Inclusion

The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and IMDA launched a 100-day Global Consultation and Digital Inclusion Playbook at the ATxSummit. This playbook features IMDA’s Digital Skills for Life (DSL) framework and includes global case studies. The roundtable convened senior government officials, international organizations, private sector representatives, and civil society to discuss digital inclusion.

IMDA Partners with Google for AI Education

Google and IMDA are extending the Gemini Academy’s AI educational content to the public, supporting the national Digital for Life (DfL) movement. Originally designed for teachers, the program will now be available to the public, with GenAI workshops hosted at NLB’s libraries starting later in 2024. These efforts aim to enhance public understanding of AI and digital skills, with registration available via NLB’s Eventbrite page.