IMDA and IAPP Expand AI Governance Training Partnership in Singapore
Source: Singapore Business Review
Singapore is expanding professional training in AI governance and data protection under a three-year partnership between IMDA and the IAPP, signing a Memorandum of Intent at the IAPP Asia Forum on July 22.
Singapore is expanding its bench of AI governance talent. With new rules coming into force this week — mandatory AI-specific notifications for personal data use, transparency codes for GenAI chatbots — the demand for professionals who actually understand both the technology and the regulation is climbing fast. The Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA) is positioning the country to meet that demand head-on.
IMDA and the International Association of Privacy Professionals (IAPP) signed a three-year Memorandum of Intent on July 22 at the IAPP Asia Forum in Singapore. The agreement widens access to professional training and certification in AI governance and data protection, including the IAPP AI Governance Professional certification. The partnership also integrates the Singapore Data Festival with the IAPP Asia Forum for another three years, creating a recurring platform for policymakers, regulators, and industry experts to discuss responsible data and AI use.
The move comes at a pivotal moment for Singapore's AI policy landscape. The same week, the Personal Data Protection Commission (PDPC) began enforcing mandatory AI-specific notifications for businesses using personal data to train AI models, and IMDA published its GenAI chatbot transparency code. These regulations create an immediate need for certified professionals who can operationalise compliance — a gap that this training pipeline is designed to fill.
Denise Wong, Commissioner of the PDPC and Assistant Chief Executive of IMDA's Data Innovation and Protection Group, framed the partnership as part of a broader strategy to position Singapore as a global hub for data protection conversations. J. Trevor Hughes, IAPP's President and CEO, noted that well-educated AI governance professionals have become more important than ever as AI transforms industries. The integrated forum model also means that Singapore's policy experiments — like the chatbot transparency code — get debated in an international context, feeding back into global best practices.
Why it matters for Singapore: Singapore is betting that its regulatory-first approach to AI will create a competitive advantage — but regulation only works if there are people who can implement it. By expanding the pipeline of certified AI governance professionals, IMDA is ensuring that the city-state has the human infrastructure to match its regulatory ambition. The IAPP partnership also strengthens Singapore's claim as a neutral meeting ground for global AI governance conversations, which reinforces its positioning as a trusted hub for data-intensive industries.
