The legal landscape surrounding artificial intelligence and data protection continues to evolve as technological advances outpace existing regulatory frameworks, particularly in areas like generative AI and trade secret protection.
Key legal challenges in Gen AI: The development of generative artificial intelligence has created several unresolved legal questions that policymakers must address.
- A critical balance must be struck between allowing data access for AI training and protecting creators’ rights
- Questions remain about intellectual property rights for AI-generated content, including who owns the rights to content created using Gen AI tools
- Major tech companies like Google, OpenAI, and Microsoft have taken proactive steps by offering indemnity protection to customers facing copyright challenges
Organizational concerns: Companies implementing AI technologies face several pressing issues related to data protection and liability.
- Business leaders are primarily focused on determining how to extract value from Gen AI while managing associated risks
- Organizations seek clarity on data flow tracking across AI systems and responsibility allocation in case of AI malfunctions
- Recent educational efforts have helped reduce some legal ambiguity around Gen AI implementation
Singapore’s data protection gap: The absence of specific trade secrets legislation in Singapore highlights a significant gap in the country’s legal framework.
- Organizations currently rely on civil claims for breach of confidence when facing data theft
- Many other countries, including Germany, Japan, China, and the US, have enacted dedicated trade secrets laws
- The US International Trade Administration has expressed concerns about the adequacy of Singapore’s current protections
Case study insights: A recent legal case involving Genk Capital illustrates the challenges of prosecuting data theft under current Singapore law.
- The company pursued both civil and criminal cases against a former employee who copied proprietary trading data
- Despite winning the case, the company’s founder found existing legal remedies inadequate, with minimal financial penalties
- The case relied on the Computer Misuse Act, which was not specifically designed for commercial data theft scenarios
Future implications: Singapore’s position as a global business hub may require strengthening its legal framework to better protect trade secrets and intellectual property.
- The absence of specific trade secrets legislation could impact Singapore’s competitiveness as an IP hub
- Small and medium-sized businesses are particularly vulnerable under the current legal framework
- While formal trade secrets laws are lacking, resources like the Trade Secrets Enterprise Guide from IPOS provide some guidance to businesses
Recent Stories
DOE fusion roadmap targets 2030s commercial deployment as AI drives $9B investment
The Department of Energy has released a new roadmap targeting commercial-scale fusion power deployment by the mid-2030s, though the plan lacks specific funding commitments and relies on scientific breakthroughs that have eluded researchers for decades. The strategy emphasizes public-private partnerships and positions AI as both a research tool and motivation for developing fusion energy to meet data centers' growing electricity demands. The big picture: The DOE's roadmap aims to "deliver the public infrastructure that supports the fusion private sector scale up in the 2030s," but acknowledges it cannot commit to specific funding levels and remains subject to Congressional appropriations. Why...
Oct 17, 2025Tying it all together: Credo’s purple cables power the $4B AI data center boom
Credo, a Silicon Valley semiconductor company specializing in data center cables and chips, has seen its stock price more than double this year to $143.61, following a 245% surge in 2024. The company's signature purple cables, which cost between $300-$500 each, have become essential infrastructure for AI data centers, positioning Credo to capitalize on the trillion-dollar AI infrastructure expansion as hyperscalers like Amazon, Microsoft, and Elon Musk's xAI rapidly build out massive computing facilities. What you should know: Credo's active electrical cables (AECs) are becoming indispensable for connecting the massive GPU clusters required for AI training and inference. The company...
Oct 17, 2025Vatican launches Latin American AI network for human development
The Vatican hosted a two-day conference bringing together 50 global experts to explore how artificial intelligence can advance peace, social justice, and human development. The event launched the Latin American AI Network for Integral Human Development and established principles for ethical AI governance that prioritize human dignity over technological advancement. What you should know: The Pontifical Academy of Social Sciences, the Vatican's research body for social issues, organized the "Digital Rerum Novarum" conference on October 16-17, combining academic research with practical AI applications. Participants included leading experts from MIT, Microsoft, Columbia University, the UN, and major European institutions. The conference...