Google DeepMind and GovTech Singapore unveil on-device AI tool to fight chat scams

Singapore has a new idea for stopping scammers: put the AI detective inside your phone and never let it phone home. On October 14, 2026, Minister for Digital Development and Information Josephine Teo announced a strategic collaboration between the Government Technology Agency of Singapore (GovTech) and Google DeepMind. The goal is to build lightweight, on-device AI models, based on Google’s Gemma models, that can catch conversational scams in private messaging apps as they happen. The pitch rests on one design choice. The analysis runs entirely on the user’s device, with zero cloud data egress. Your chats stay on your phone, and the scam-spotting happens there too. How the scam interceptor is supposed to work Conversational scams don’t always arrive with a dodgy link. They unfold slowly, through friendly messages, manufactured urgency, and emotional pressure designed to walk a victim toward a bad decision. The system is meant to read the flow of a private conversation in real time and spot the manipulative tactics scammers rely on. The aim is early intervention, ideally before money moves. Teo made the announcement at Singapore International Cyber Week (SICW). She framed it as part...