Overview
Today, AI is no longer just a technical tool. Rather, it is deeply woven into the fabric of our daily lives. As AI systems are developed, deployed and integrated across critical social functions, we face a perennial challenge: how do we navigate AI safety and ethics beyond a "checklist" of technical fixes? True AI safety cannot exist in isolation. Instead, it requires a socio-technical lens to ensure that these systems operate within a complex, multi-cultural social fabric – one that draws on perspectives from sociology, philosophy and the law.
Join us for a fireside chat with renowned computer scientist Professor Dame Wendy Hall Regius Professor of Computer Science and a pioneer of Web Science, and Dr Leslie Teo Senior Director of AI Products at AI Singapore. Moderated by Professor Joel Fischer Professor of Human-Computer Interaction at the School of Computer Science, University of Nottingham, we will discuss how to bridge the gap between technical development and societal impact.
The discussion will explore the importance of interdisciplinary expertise in AI development from the outset, and how to build AI systems that truly navigate and respect the diverse societies we live in today.
Why are human behavior, cultural values, and legal frameworks just as critical as the algorithms themselves?
How can we build systems that respect a global social fabric rather than imposing a "one-size-fits-all" Western perspective.
How can our approach to AI ethics move beyond a constant cycle of playing “catch up”?
This event is jointly organised by SGInnovate and the British High Commission Singapore.
Agenda:
Registration Opens at 5:30pm
Opening Remarks
Fireside Chat with Professor Dame Wendy Hall and Dr Leslie Teo, moderated by Professor Joel Fischer
Networking with light refreshments
Schedule
Date: 30 Apr 2026, Thursday
Time: 6:00 PM - 8:00 PM (GMT +8:00) Kuala Lumpur, Singapore
Location: 32 Carpenter Street, 059911
Speakers
Speaker's Profile:
Wendy Hall, Regius Professor of Computer Science, Associate Vice President (International Engagement), Director of the Web Science Institute, University of Southampton
Dame Wendy Hall, DBE, FRS, FREng is Regius Professor of Computer Science, Associate Vice President (International Engagement) and is Director of the Web Science Institute at the University of Southampton. She became a Dame Commander of the British Empire in the 2009 UK New Year's Honours list and is a Fellow of the Royal Society, the Royal Academy of Engineering and the ACM. Dame Wendy was co-Chair of the UK government’s AI Review, which was published in October 2017 and a member of the AI Council. She is currently the co-Chair of the ACM Publications Board and Editor-in-Chief of Royal Society Open Science. She is an advisor to the UK government and many other governments and companies around the world and in 2023 was appointed to the United Nations high-level advisory body on artificial intelligence. Her latest book, Four Internets, co-written with Kieron O’Hara, was published by OUP in 2021.
Speaker's Profile:
Dr Leslie Teo, Senior Director, AI Products at AI Singapore
Leslie Teo is Senior Director, AI Products at AI Singapore, leading SEA LION (Southeast Asian Languages in One Network), a regional open-source LLM family spanning 11 languages. Under his leadership, SEA LION has surpassed 600,000 Hugging Face downloads, earned research acceptance at major AI conferences like ACL 2025, and established partnerships with Google DeepMind and Alibaba Cloud. With 25+ years of experience across tech, economics, and policy, Leslie was previously Chief Economist at GIC, led IMF missions on regulatory frameworks, and helped establish the Monetary Authority of Singapore’s financial stability function. He serves as an Independent Director for IPOS International, Sofina AG, and Coinbase Singapore, and is a member of the UN Independent International Scientific Panel on AI. Leslie holds a Ph.D. in Economics & Finance (University of Rochester), an M.S. (UC Berkeley), and a B.A. (University of Chicago).
Moderator's Profile:
Professor Joel Fischer , Professor of Human-Computer Interaction , School of Computer Science, University of Nottingham
Joel Fischer is Professor of Human-Computer Interaction at the School of Computer Science, University of Nottingham, UK, and Research Lead at Responsible AI (RAi) UK, where he leads interdisciplinary research on responsible AI Assurance. He is currently initiating international collaborations on AI Assurance, including the National University of Singapore. The research adopts a socio-technical approach, which is aligned with broader research in Human-Centred AI to understand adoption and embedding of AI-infused technologies into everyday life and work to benefit societies.
