Singapore Consensus on Global AI Safety Research Priorities

Applies To

Overview

Published in May 2025 following an international AI safety summit hosted by Singapore, the Singapore Consensus outlines agreed global priorities for AI safety research, intended to align efforts across governments, academic institutions, and industry participants. The document functions as a coordination instrument, analogous in structure and intent to the Bletchley Declaration of 2023, identifying thematic research areas deemed most critical to mitigating risks from advanced AI systems. Participating jurisdictions and organizations are expected to reference the consensus when designing national safety research programs, funding allocations, and international cooperation agreements. The framework does not establish a binding compliance regime, enforcement mechanism, or penalty structure, and adherence is voluntary. Its practical effect is to shape the priorities of national AI safety institutes, multilateral research partnerships, and standards bodies that subsequently translate research findings into technical standards or regulatory guidance. The Singapore Government, as convening authority, holds the secretariat function, though ongoing governance arrangements for the consensus had not been fully detailed at the time of publication.

Key Requirements

• •Participating governments and institutions are expected to align national AI safety research agendas with the consensus priority areas identified in the document
• •Signatories and endorsing organizations are encouraged to report on research activities and progress against the identified priority themes through existing international coordination channels
• •Research funding bodies are invited to reference the consensus when evaluating proposals for AI safety research grants and programs
• •International collaboration agreements between AI safety institutes should be informed by the shared priorities established in the consensus
• •No binding compliance deadlines, financial thresholds, or penalty provisions are established; the framework operates on a voluntary coordination basis

What Your Organization Must Do

• →Assign your Chief AI Officer or Head of AI Governance to review the Singapore Consensus priority areas and produce a gap analysis comparing current internal AI safety research commitments against the consensus themes by Q3 2025.
• →Update your AI safety research roadmap and internal funding allocation criteria to explicitly reference the Singapore Consensus priority areas, ensuring alignment is documented before the next annual budget cycle.
• →If your organization participates in international AI safety partnerships or multilateral research agreements, instruct your legal and policy teams to incorporate the consensus priorities as a reference standard in new cooperation agreements negotiated from May 2025 onward.
• →Prepare a brief voluntary progress report on your AI safety research activities mapped to the consensus themes, to be submitted through relevant international coordination channels such as AI safety institute networks or multilateral forums, timed to align with any reporting cycles established by participating governments.
• →Direct your government affairs and regulatory monitoring teams to track how national AI safety institutes and standards bodies in your operating jurisdictions translate the consensus into binding technical standards or funding requirements, flagging any developments that create downstream compliance obligations within 60 days of publication.
• →Engage your research grant and procurement teams to update evaluation criteria for AI safety vendor and academic partnerships so that proposals demonstrating alignment with the Singapore Consensus priority areas receive documented consideration during selection processes.