Agentic AI refers to the broader field of AI that develops the various individual agents to pursue goals and not just follow rules and commands.
It “opens up new layers of possibilities” in the way humans interact with AI, added Mrs Teo.
“Agents can already act as simple assistants – following up on our instructions to analyse data, draft emails or navigate websites to search for information,” she said.
“More sophisticated agents can implement a series of instructions within complex workflows. They can combine tasks and determine the next steps based on the results of the earlier tasks … With increased sophistication, the potential for productivity improvements and value enhancements also grows.”
DEPLOYMENT IN A “SAFE AND RESPONSIBLE WAY”
While these developments present new possibilities, Mrs Teo said that authorities will also need to study issues which may arise.
“As with all emerging technologies, the government believes we need first to understand how they work and why mistakes happen,” she said.
“With AI agents, there are valid concerns about unintended actions, and we need to pay even more attention to governance.”
Questions such as what provisions AI agents should be given, when humans should be in the loop and who should be held accountable should things not go “as expected”, all deserve “careful” consideration, said the minister.
“MDDI will play an active role in ensuring that agentic capabilities are developed and deployed in a safe and responsible way, so that our public officers and citizens can work with these tools confidently,” she added.
