Singapore Launches New Model AI Governance Framework for Agentic AI

1. Minister for Digital Development and Information, Mrs Josephine Teo, announced the launch of the new Model AI Governance Framework for Agentic AI¹, at the World Economic Forum (WEF) today. Developed by the Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA), this first-of-its-kind framework for reliable and safe agentic AI deployment builds upon the governance foundations of MGF for AI, which was introduced in 2020. It provides guidance to organisations on how to deploy agents responsibly, recommending technical and non-technical measures to mitigate risks, while emphasising that humans are ultimately accountable. Initiatives such as the MGF for Agentic AI support the responsible development, deployment and use of AI, so that its benefits can be enjoyed by all in a trusted and safe manner. This is in line with Singapore’s practical and balanced approach to AI Governance, where guardrails are put in place, while providing space for innovation.

Important to implement governance measures to harness Agentic AI responsibly

2. Unlike traditional and generative AI, AI agents can reason and take actions to complete tasks on the behalf of users. This allows organisations to automate repetitive tasks, such as those related to customer service and enterprise productivity, and drive sectoral transformation by freeing up employees’ time to undertake higher value activities.

3. However, as AI agents may have access to sensitive data and the ability to make changes to their environment, such as updating a customer database or making a payment, their use introduces potential new risks, for example unauthorised or erroneous actions. The increased capability and autonomy of agents also create challenges for effective human accountability, such as greater automation bias, or the tendency to over-trust an automated system that has performed reliably in the past. It is therefore crucial to understand the risks agentic AI could pose and ensure that organisations implement the necessary governance measures to harness agentic AI responsibly, including maintaining meaningful human control and oversight over agentic AI.

Framework provides guidance on managing risks in deployment of Agentic AI

4. The MGF for Agentic AI offers a structured overview of the risks of agentic AI and emerging best practices in managing these risks. It is targeted at organisations looking to deploy agentic AI, whether through developing AI agents in-house or using third-party agentic solutions.

5. The framework provides organisations with guidance on technical and non-technical measures they need to put in place to deploy agents responsibly, across four dimensions:

• Assessing and bounding the risks upfront by selecting appropriate agentic use cases and placing limits on agents’ powers such as agents’ autonomy and access to tools and data;
• Making humans meaningfully accountable for agents by defining significant checkpoints at which human approval is required;
• Implementing technical controls and processes throughout the agent lifecycle, such as baseline testing and controlling access to whitelisted services; and,
• Enabling end-user responsibility through transparency and education/training.

6. In developing the framework, IMDA incorporated feedback from both the Government sector agencies and private sector organisations. April Chin, Co-Chief Executive Officer, Resaro: “As the first authoritative resource addressing the specific risks of agentic AI, the MGF fills a critical gap in policy guidance for agentic AI. The framework establishes critical foundations for AI agent assurance. For example, it helps organisations define agent boundaries, identify risks, and implement mitigations such as agentic guardrails.” Please refer to the factsheet to hear more of what organisations have to say about the MGF for Agentic AI (152.84KB).

7. This is a living document, and we welcome all feedback from interested parties to refine the framework, as well as submission of case studies that demonstrate how agentic AI can be responsibly deployed. Building on the “Starter Kit Testing of LLM-Based Applications for Safety and Reliability”, IMDA is also developing guidelines for testing agentic AI applications.

8. For more details, please refer to the Model AI Governance Framework for Agentic AI. All feedback and case studies can be sent here.

9. The MGF for Agentic AI is the latest initiative introduced by Singapore to build a global ecosystem where AI is trusted and reliable. Singapore is working with other countries though our AI Safety Institute (AISI) and leading the ASEAN Working Group on AI Governance (WG-AI) to develop a trusted AI ecosystem within ASEAN, while fostering collaboration among Southeast Asian nations. Closer to home, initiatives such as the MGFs, AI Verify toolkit and the Starter Kit for Testing of LLM-Based Applications for Safety and Reliability (3.02MB), have formed important stepping stones towards the goal of building a trustworthy AI ecosystem internationally.