Singapore – Organizations that use personal data to train generative artificial intelligence models must clearly notify affected users under the proposed new rules.
The Personal Data Protection Commission (PDPC), which consulted the public on the rule, said it was a necessary safeguard against the misuse of consumer data to train completely unanticipated services such as financial profiling.
In its proposed advisory guidelines, the PDPC said organizations should issue AI-specific notices rather than relying on broad privacy notices stating that personal data may be used for purposes such as “new product development.”
proposed rule From banks and insurance companies to retailers and social media platforms, businesses are increasingly deploying their own generative AI models. Personalize our services and improve our products.
“Individuals may have legitimate concerns about more sensitive personal data being published, reconstructed and/or disclosed to third parties from generative AI models,” the PDPC said in its consultation paper. The month-long public consultation ended on July 1st.
Personal data may include your name, email address, video and audio recordings, transaction history, and location data.
Visible AI-specific notifications can be in-product pop-ups or dedicated web pages. AI-specific notifications should include detailed information about the behavior of the generative AI model and the personal data it captures.
If the company is For example, if you are developing a text-to-speech feature, you need to inform users that their voice recordings will be used to train an AI model. Companies should We will also explain that recordings help the model recognize speech patterns.
AI-specific notices must also provide detailed instructions for opting out or withdrawing consent for personal data to be used for AI training.
for example, Social media platforms that develop AI models to generate text and images may update their privacy policies “When you interact with our AI-enabled features, the text, images, and audio you send may be used for product improvement purposes, such as training and running our AI models. This allows our AI-enabled features to generate more realistic images and audio patterns.”
Social media platforms also allow you to provide details on your web page. via Privacy updates within the platform that users can read and review; or by email Link to opt out of AI training.
It is unclear if the user needs to do this explicitly Is it enough to consent or opt out of AI training?
It is also unclear whether mandatory AI-specific notifications apply when personal data is anonymized before being used for AI training.
It’s also unclear whether organizations such as banks, insurance companies and social media platforms can deny services to consumers if they refuse AI training.
Suggested guidelines teeth One of Dennis’ key priorities Mr. Wong He was appointed as the fifth director of PDPC in April 2026.
The authority was established in January 2013 to enforce Singapore’s data protection laws, investigate complaints and data breaches, and educate organizations and individuals about their rights and obligations.
In an interview with The Straits Times on June 23, Mr Wong spoke about the need to keep Singapore’s data protection framework relevant in the era of generative AI, particularly the increasing use of AI-enabled devices that collect biometric data.
For example, AI-enabled smart glasses, smart watches, and palm-scan payment systems collect facial features, fingerprints, voice recordings, and palm vein patterns, exposing users to new risks.
In particular, AI smart glasses, including Ray-Ban Meta and Oakley Meta devices. surprised the public Because people may not know whether it was secretly recorded or not. In the UK, a BBC investigation in January 2026 found that women were being harassed after they were secretly filmed using Ray-Ban meta glasses and the videos were posted online along with their personal information.
It has also fueled fears of high-tech cheating, as students can easily record exams in secret without knowing anyone is watching. Two candidates ran in South Korea. Caught using smart glasses equipped with AI Due to cheating on the English proficiency test in May 2026, authorities have banned equipment from being brought into the test venue.
The PDPC is therefore considering whether it needs to advise businesses on what constitutes meaningful consent for the use of such AI-enabled devices. “We are thinking “Do we need to be more clear about the circumstances in which the use of such devices is and is not acceptable?” Wong said.
