A Matter of Trust: Google, Artificial Intelligence, and the Public Sphere

Singapore-based Bertha Chan heads Trust and Safety Global Engagements across the Asia-Pacific for Google, focusing on the safeguards and considerations needed to prevent AI misuse while keeping pace with the technology.

Her remit covers jurisdictions and partnerships with governments and civil society, as well as combating the ever-evolving online scam industry, which is already adopting the latest advances in AI, especially the production of deepfakes.

Chan says that the foundation of all innovation and technology adoption has to be trust and that Google aims to protect its users at every part of their “entire digital journey,” adding that its email product, Gmail, stops 90 percent of spam, phishing and malware from ever reaching an inbox.

“So that’s what we call all safety by design,” Chan told The Diplomat’s Luke Hunt, adding that Google has deployed research teams that seek to establish policies and frameworks aimed at safeguarding children and families from dangerous and sexual content, and preventing fraud.

“These experts are advisors who specialize in a very wide range of expertise, for example, developmental psychology, cultural anthropology, human development, youth culture [and] youth behavior – when it comes to technology more,” Chan said.

“So with their expertise we collaborate and understand and seek to really fine-tune our products.”

Prior to Google, Chan drove digital transformation and international relations initiatives within the Singapore government. She holds a Master’s degree in sociology from the University of Oxford and a Bachelor’s degree in psychology from University College London.