On 22 September 2024, the world’s first AI Playbook for Small States (“Playbook“) was introduced by Singapore and Rwanda. The Playbook is an anthology of best practices from members of the Digital Forum of Small States (“Digital FOSS“) on how they have implemented artificial intelligence (“AI“) strategies and policies in their countries.
The recent advent of generative AI and large language models has led to groundbreaking opportunities for all parts of society. However, its adoption may be uneven across states. Small states, in particular, face challenges such as:
- access to resources and funding;
- limitations of small domestic markets and the resulting difficulty of tapping on economies of scale;
- access to data; and
- availability of expertise and AI talent.
Within the Playbook, Digital FOSS members across different geographical regions and varying stages of digital development share their experiences on the adoption and development of AI while addressing issues of AI governance, safety, and social impact. The Playbook includes the following:
- Laying key building blocks
- Human resources: nurturing technological professionals, conducting broad-based training for the general workforce
- Infrastructure: access to high performance compute, access to high quality data, and sustainability concerns
- Driving AI development and use
- Industry: prioritising areas of focus, driving micro, small and medium-sized enterprise (MSME) usage of AI
- Government: piloting AI applications for government services, building AI literacy and proficiency within the public sector workforce
- Fostering a trusted environment
- Establishing a holistic framework to unpack the ecosystem
- Crafting practical testing tools
- Leveraging on existing regulations
- Building up digital literacy
- Forging global partnerships and cooperation
- Examples of global partnerships and cooperation, such as the Digital FOSS itself or the United Nations Development Programme: AI for Sustainable Development
In light of the rapidly evolving nature of AI, the Playbook was created to be a living document that continuously aggregates the collective experiences and strategies of small states. Further contributions on a continuing basis will be welcomed.
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