Can Singapore firms close their cyber defence gap to counter AI threats?
Can Singapore firms close their cyber defence gap to counter AI threats?
Publish Date: 2026-04-19 20:56:00
Source Domain: www.scmp.com
Using an unordered list, summarize the following article with between 4 and 8 key points. Singapore has earned top marks for digital resilience in the Asia-Pacific, but a new study reveals a disconnect at the heart of its corporate world: its executives ranked 10th out of 11 for leadership on the issue.The findings, published on Wednesday by Economist Impact and Australian telecoms company Telstra International, drew on responses from 1,420 senior executives across 11 Asia-Pacific markets, including Australia, mainland China, Hong Kong and Thailand.Singapore ranked first overall – leading on risk management, workforce capability and cultural agility – but placed 10th out of 11 on leadership, exposing a governance gap that experts warn could prove costly as AI supercharges the speed and sophistication of cyber threats.The study found that 71 per cent of respondents in the city state said their boards or executive committees did not regularly review the effectiveness of their digital resilience plans. Instead, responsibility tended to be concentrated in a single function – typically IT – rather than distributed across senior leadership.A new study has shown that Singapore companies face structural shortcomings in responding to cyberattacks, outages and other digital disruptions. Photo: Shutterstock“The regulatory foundation is genuinely strong, so the next challenge is closing the gap between policy intent and operational practice,” said Darren Guccione, CEO and co-founder of cybersecurity platform Keeper Security. “AI is making that harder, not easier.”