2026 Singapore Consensus sets global AI safety research priorities
Source: SGAISI
Over 100 contributors from 13 countries published the 2026 Singapore Consensus, setting research priorities for AI safety with new focus on agentic deployment risks, system evaluations, and control mechanisms for autonomous AI.
The 2026 Singapore Consensus on Global AI Safety Research Priorities has been published, bringing together over 100 contributors from 13 countries including frontier AI developers, government safety institutes, academia, and civil society. The report updates last year's consensus with new focus areas shaped by the rapid evolution of AI risk.
A major new emphasis this year is on agentic deployment — autonomous AI agents that can take actions in the real world. The report extends scientific discussion from research priorities to emerging risk management practices for these systems, reflecting the industry's shift toward building AI that doesn't just generate text but executes tasks independently.
The consensus covers three broad policy areas: risk assessment (including system evaluations, loss-of-control risk, and downstream impact prediction), developing trustworthy and secure systems (specification, verification, and design), and control mechanisms. The specificity of these areas marks a maturation from general AI safety principles to actionable research agendas.
Why it matters for Singapore: Hosting and producing this consensus document positions Singapore as a credible convener on AI safety — not just a consumer of frontier models. The report feeds directly into IMDA's governance work and the Singapore AI Safety Institute's research programme, giving Singapore a seat at the table when global AI safety standards are being written.
