Singapore partners with Google DeepMind to build real-time AI scam detector for devices

During Singapore International Cyber Week, Minister Josephine Teo revealed a collaboration between the Government Technology Agency of Singapore (GovTech) and Google DeepMind to develop on-device, real-time AI detection of scam activity, aiming to safeguard users without compromising privacy. The initiative targets the increasingly sophisticated, AI-driven scams that move from social platforms to messaging apps, phone calls and banking transfers, demanding a unified defensive network.

Teo highlighted that current AI-powered tools, such as the Scam Analytics and Tactical Intervention System used with the Singapore Police Force, already scan over 600,000 websites daily and block around 20,000 malicious sites each month. She also warned of future quantum computing risks to encryption and outlined a roadmap for quantum-safe migration, with guidance due by 2035 and a grant program running through 2027. The minister emphasized that combating both scam and quantum threats will require international cooperation and shared technology development.