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MAXWELL EN-ROUTE PODCAST - AI AND TECHNOLOGY: INSIGHTS, ADVICE, AND KEY TAKEAWAYS
By Karen Tan – February 26 2025
INTRODUCTION
The widespread integration of artificial intelligence (AI) across industries significantly enhanced operational efficiency, improved user experiences and transformed regulatory landscapes. In 2024, we assembled industry experts – Anu Ambikaipalan (Uber), David Teece (Berkeley Research Group), Simon Chesterman (AI Singapore), and Denise Wong (Infocomm Media Development Authority) to discuss how businesses could adapt to the rapid technological advancements driven by AI. The purpose of this report is to distil insights from these discussions and assess the progress made one year on.
INSIGHTS from the Industry
Anu Ambikaipalan
Associate General Counsel APAC, Uber
Anu Ambikaipalan, Associate General Counsel APAC, Uber
- Listen on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/episode/6PDfdQo5pkAuS4xl3vXsff?si=oStjA6M2TG6SUOKTDMqfRw
- Watch on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6mFL9rqY5fM
AI became an indispensable yet often unnoticed force driving modern technology. In the first episode of Maxwell En-route, Anu Ambikaipalan discussed how AI had long powered essential services like ridesharing and food delivery. While its role in improving efficiency and convenience was undeniable, the rapid advancements and heightened scrutiny of AI in late 2023 accelerated urgent regulatory challenges. Striking a balance between innovation, safety and consumer trust required close collaboration between tech companies and regulators.
Beyond grappling with this rapid growth in technology, businesses had to navigate the complexities of a fragmented global landscape. Regulatory approaches varied across regions due to differing values and priorities. For multinational companies, this meant adapting to diverse legal frameworks while ensuring compliance. At the same time, sustainability emerged as another critical challenge, with organisations working to integrate AI solutions while addressing the high energy demands of these systems.
Despite these challenges, Ambikaipalan emphasised that the opportunities AI presented far outweighed the risks. Its ability to streamline processes across sectors, including compliance in legal teams, demonstrated its potential to boost productivity and reduce errors. While concerns over AI-driven job displacement persisted, history showed that technology often reshaped roles rather than eliminated them, reinforcing the importance of continuous reskilling. Amid these changes, Ambikaipalan highlighted that fostering empathy and human connection remained vital, ensuring technology continued to enhance rather than replace meaningful human interactions.
AI became an indispensable yet often unnoticed force driving modern technology. In the first episode of Maxwell En-route, Anu Ambikaipalan discussed how AI had long powered essential services like ridesharing and food delivery. While its role in improving efficiency and convenience was undeniable, the rapid advancements and heightened scrutiny of AI in late 2023 accelerated urgent regulatory challenges. Striking a balance between innovation, safety and consumer trust required close collaboration between tech companies and regulators.
Beyond grappling with this rapid growth in technology, businesses had to navigate the complexities of a fragmented global landscape. Regulatory approaches varied across regions due to differing values and priorities. For multinational companies, this meant adapting to diverse legal frameworks while ensuring compliance. At the same time, sustainability emerged as another critical challenge, with organisations working to integrate AI solutions while addressing the high energy demands of these systems.
Despite these challenges, Ambikaipalan emphasised that the opportunities AI presented far outweighed the risks. Its ability to streamline processes across sectors, including compliance in legal teams, demonstrated its potential to boost productivity and reduce errors. While concerns over AI-driven job displacement persisted, history showed that technology often reshaped roles rather than eliminated them, reinforcing the importance of continuous reskilling. Amid these changes, Ambikaipalan highlighted that fostering empathy and human connection remained vital, ensuring technology continued to enhance rather than replace meaningful human interactions.
David Teece
Co-Founder, Berkeley Research Group
Building on these discussions, the second episode broadened the lens to examine AI’s impact from a macro and geopolitical perspective. David Teece emphasised that in an era of rapid technological growth, businesses had to remain agile, not only in adopting new technologies but also in navigating an unpredictable geopolitical landscape marked by increasing interdependence and rising tensions. He stressed the importance of dynamic capabilities – the ability to sense market changes, execute strategic responses, and transform operations for long-term resilience.
A cautionary example of failing to adapt was Nokia, which struggled to transition to smartphone technology due to its reliance on legacy assets and short-term profitability. This served as a reminder that even industry leaders could falter without continuous innovation. The overarching message was clear: adaptability is crucial. Businesses and governments had to overcome inertia, find new opportunities, and proactively collaborate to address regulatory complexities while safeguarding national interests. In this age of rapid technological disruption and geopolitical uncertainty, innovation and resilience were essential for sustainable success.
Professor Simon Chesterman
David Marshall Professor and Vice Provost (Educational Innovation), National University of Singapore) and
Senior Director of AI Governance, AI Singapore
Shifting the focus from business strategy to governance, the third episode explored the importance of responsible AI governance with Simon Chesterman. He emphasised the importance of trust, transparency and accountability in AI regulations. As AI evolved at an unprecedented pace, existing regulatory frameworks had to adapt to address new challenges without stifling innovation.
Chesterman stressed the need for international collaboration to establish ethical standards and prevent regulatory arbitrage. In other words, if AI regulations were inconsistent across regions, companies might move their operations to countries with weaker oversight, avoiding stricter compliance measures. This could lead to ethical concerns, lack of accountability, and potential misuse of AI. Chesterman argued that a harmonised global approach was necessary to ensure responsible AI governance.
Public education in AI literacy was another critical factor in fostering trust and preparing the workforce for an AI-driven future. While existing laws could often apply to AI scenarios, the speed of technological advancement frequently outpaced regulatory frameworks. Chesterman’s key takeaway was the need for a balanced approach that encouraged innovation while safeguarding ethical standards and maintaining public trust in AI systems.
Denise Wong
Assistant Chief Executive Officer, Infocomm Media Development Authority, Singapore (IMDA)
Concluding Maxwell En-route Season One, Denise Wong examined AI governance from a regulatory perspective. She highlighted IMDA’s role as an economic developer, regulator and social innovator, outlining Singapore’s strategic efforts to build a trusted digital ecosystem. Wong discussed IMDA’s collaboration with the AI Verify Foundation (AIVF) to develop the Model AI Governance Framework for Generative AI (MGF for GenAI 1). This framework was designed to align international standards and promote responsible AI use by providing specific guidance on accountability, transparency and stakeholder responsibilities.
As generative AI evolved, it presented both opportunities and risks, particularly regarding misinformation and ethical dilemmas. Public education, digital literacy, and innovative technical solutions were essential to mitigating these challenges. Wong also highlighted the challenges posed by malicious uses of AI, such as misinformation and deep fakes, and outlined the government’s initiatives for public education, technical solutions and regulatory frameworks to combat these challenges. The episode reinforced the need for a holistic, collaborative approach to AI governance; ensuring AI contributed positively to society while maintaining security and accountability.
FUTURE TRENDS AND STRATEGIC TAKEAWAYS
The rapid advancement of AI presented both opportunities and challenges, necessitating proactive governance, industry collaboration, adaptability and continuous innovation. As regulatory frameworks evolve and businesses integrate AI into their operations, maintaining a balance between technological advancement and ethical responsibility remained critical to ensuring AI benefits society.
Recent developments in 2025 highlighted the urgency of AI governance and the need for responsible deployment in order to shape the future of technology. A major disruptor that emerged in late January 2025 was DeepSeek, which drew significant attention from businesses and governments. While some countries took a cautious regulatory stance, others monitored its impact – aligning with Chesterman’s view that trust played a pivotal role in these discussions. It also reinforced Teece’s assertion that companies had to stay attuned to market shifts and adapt accordingly.
In the international arbitration and dispute resolution space, since 2024, several arbitral organisations introduced guidelines to ensure AI is integrated responsibly into arbitration and alternative dispute resolution. Notable examples include the Silicon Valley Arbitration and Mediation Center (SVAMC), which published the Guidelines on the Use of Artificial Intelligence in Arbitration2, providing a principle-based framework to help arbitration participants navigate AI applications while upholding ethical standards and procedural integrity. Similarly, the American Arbitration Association–International Centre for Dispute Resolution (AAA-ICDR) introduced Principles Supporting the Use of AI in Alternative Dispute Resolution3 and JAMS with the JAMS Artificial Intelligence Dispute Rules4, all of which have introduced frameworks to uphold ethical standards while leveraging AI’s potential.
Institutions and law firms are starting to use AI to streamline processes, reduce costs and enhance efficiency. As AI-driven protocols continue to emerge, the legal industry must adapt and embrace technological change to share the future of dispute resolution. After all, we have entered into an AI-driven era, and for legal professionals, adapting to technological advancements is not just an option, it is a necessity.
[1] The MGF-Gen AI can be accessed here: https://aiverifyfoundation.sg/resources/mgf-gen-ai/
[2] Silicon Valley Arbitration and Mediation Center. (2024). Guidelines on the Use of Artificial Intelligence in International Arbitration. Retrieved from https://svamc.org/svamc-publishes-guidelines-on-the-use-of-artificial-intelligence-in-arbitration.
[3] American Arbitration Association–International Centre for Dispute Resolution. (2023). Principles Supporting the Use of AI in Alternative Dispute Resolution. Retrieved from https://go.adr.org/rs/294-SFS-516/images/Principles%20Supporting%20the%20Use%20of%20AI%20in%20Alternative%20Dispute%20Resolution.pdf
[4] JAMS. (2024). Artificial Intelligence Disputes Clause and Rules. Retrieved from https://www.jamsadr.com/artificial-intelligence-disputes-clause-and-rules
