Minister urges 'adequate' public media funding as AI disinformation rises

During the Budget 2026 debate yesterday (24 February), member of parliament for Kebun Baru Henry Kwek urged the Singapore government to "adequately and sustainably" fund public media. This comes amid the rise of AI generated misinformation.

In his speech, Kwek claimed that public service media is not just Singapore's truth infrastructure, but also the nation's trust infrastructure. He later mentioned media publications such as The Straits Times, Zaobao, CNA and Business Times as examples.

"In the age of AI generated disinformation, [public service media] stand between our people and manipulated information space," said Kwek. "I urge the government to make sure they are adequately and sustainably funded."

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With funding, media professionals may also feel that they have a compelling future in the industry, Kwek stated. He added that media is a source of trust and is a key voice in Singapore's soft power.

Furthermore, the minister highlighted how technology is reshaping lives and suggested a few areas in which Singapore can "move even faster" in an AI-charged world.

This includes co-developing Singapore's own AI-centric development stack with major tech firms such as Google and Microsoft as well as mandating IT contracts to require AI-centric development methods to speed up AI adoption among Singaporeans. The minister then likened the mandating of AI-centric development in IT contracts to the Building Information Modelling (BIM) adoption in the construction industry.

"When the Singapore government becomes the driver of demand, industry follows," he said.

Additionally, Kwek urged the government to offer innovation grants to tech-capable small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs), in addition to larger companies. SMEs that require support in adopting AI should also be actively assisted by the government in onboarding, he suggested.

"In the AI-centric world, where AI agents transact and AI systems make decisions, trust becomes the precious commodity in digital economy," the minister said.

Kwek’s warning comes as recent reporting underscores how AI tools are already being used to spread misinformation at scale. In fact, hundreds of AI-generated, Chinese-language YouTube videos targeting Singapore and prime minister Lawrence Wong have surfaced as part of an ongoing disinformation campaign, according to CNA.

The investigation found that nearly seven in 10 videos attacked Wong directly, spreading fabricated claims about his leadership being under threat and alleged political infighting within Singapore.

The videos also promoted multiple false narratives, including conspiracy theories claiming senior minister Lee Hsien Loong was plotting to replace Wong, as well as claims that Singapore faced imminent economic collapse. These assertions reportedly contradict official data showing the country’s port handled a record 44.66 million containers in 2025 and remains the world’s second-busiest container port.

The investigation reportedly found signs of coordinated activity across at least 10 channels, including accounts created minutes apart and videos uploaded simultaneously using identical scripts and visuals. Some videos also featured an AI-generated likeness of late investor Charlie Munger.

Photo courtesy of Henry Kwek, Facebook.

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