Prosecutors must be versatile to tackle Al-enabled crimes: Minister

Multidisciplinary and innovative mindset, international collaboration also key, he says

- Selina Lum

The proliferation of online crimes and the rise of artificial intelligence (AI) are creating unprecedented challenges for prosecutors and criminal justice systems worldwide, said Law Minister Edwin Tong on Sept 8.

These challenges will require prosecutors to be more versatile, adopt a multidisciplinary and innovative mindset, and build on international partnerships, said Mr Tong, who is also Second Minister for Home Affairs.

He was delivering the keynote speech at the 30th Annual Conference and General Meeting of the International Association of Prosecutors held at the Shangri-La Singapore hotel.

More than 450 prosecutors from about 90 countries are in Singapore for the conference, which is hosted by the Attorney-General's Chambers (AGC) and ends on Sept 10.

At the opening ceremony on Sept 7, President Tharman Shanmugaratnam spoke about the violations of international law, and how justice gaps of this scale undermine stability, breed cynicism and accentuate the broader corrosion of trust in public institutions.

On Sept 8, Mr Tong emphasised the need for prosecutors to go beyond traditional skills, embrace technology and collaborate internationally to effectively combat cross-border crimes.

"We are witnessing a global proliferation in financial crimes such as scams, money laundering and securities fraud," the minister said.