Google DeepMind and Singapore Government announce new AI tool to protect citizens against scams
Google DeepMind and Singapore’s GovTech unveiled an on-device AI tool to detect scams in real time while preserving end-to-end encrypted conversations and user privacy.
Scams now account for over half of reported crimes in Singapore and have caused more than S$4 billion in losses since 2019, with up to 80% of losses linked to sophisticated social engineering tactics. To counter this, Google DeepMind and the Government Technology Agency of Singapore (GovTech) developed an on-device scam detection model designed to run efficiently on standard smartphones without sending conversation data to external servers.
The model was fine-tuned using locally relevant scam conversations, including impersonations of public institutions, banks, and regional schemes, to distinguish benign interactions from manipulative attempts. By processing data on the device, the tool avoids reliance on cloud-based scanning, which is often incompatible with end-to-end encrypted messaging platforms where private conversations cannot be inspected.
When the model identifies manipulative conversational patterns, it issues real-time warnings on the user’s device, advising caution before sharing sensitive information or funds. This approach prioritizes both immediate threat detection and the protection of personal privacy, addressing a critical gap in existing scam prevention methods.
The project was presented at Singapore International Cyber Week 2026 and demonstrates how AI can be deployed on-device to safeguard users without compromising encryption or exposing private data. Strict governance measures, including sovereign sandbox training and exclusion of personally identifiable information, ensured compliance with privacy and security standards throughout development.