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DEF CON Founder Jeff Moss emphasised the need for greater accountability from Big Tech at his fireside chat on Day 2 of MTX (Milipol TechX Summit) 2026. (Photo: HTX/Nicole Lim)
- DEF CON Singapore was launched by HTX and DEF CON founder Jeff Moss, marking the event’s debut in Southeast Asia.
- Speakers emphasised hands-on learning, collaboration and critical thinking as essential to staying ahead of rapidly evolving cyber threats.
- The event featured 11 villages and 19 communities, with immersive challenges across various cybersecurity areas.
- The HTX Capture the Flag finals showcased cybersecurity talent tackling AI and IoT challenges, highlighting the need for continuous defence.
In the wild West of Artificial Intelligence (AI)-advancement, there’s no silver bullet to counter challenges such as black-box models that make it difficult to detect bias or hidden malicious behaviour. But greater transparency, outcome-based regulation and stronger collaboration between policymakers, researchers and the wider security community are critical to ensuring accountability and trust in AI systems.
That was a key insight shared by DEF CON founder Jeff Moss during his fireside chat that kicked off the second day of MTX (Milipol TechX Summit) 2026. He called for open discourse to improve technology and make informed decisions.
The inaugural DEF CON Singapore is taking place alongside MTX at the Sands Expo and Convention Centre from 28-30 April. HTX partnered DEF CON to bring the world-renowned cybersecurity conference to Singapore for the first time.
“All problems are global problems, and if you don’t act globally, you are never going to solve these problems. Anytime barriers go up or it gets harder to communicate, you are just making your system more brittle,” said Jeff.
His remarks embody the spirit of MTX (Milipol TechX Summit) 2026, which has brought together thousands of members of the global community to showcase solutions for evolving public safety challenges over three days.
Day 2 saw hordes of visitors flocking to immersive and interactive exhibits and attending associated events, including Hatch’s Dimension X Cohort 7 Demo Day, the flagship open innovation programme organised by HTX’s innovation centre that tackles challenges faced by the Home Team.
Here’s what you may have missed:
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Attendees try out AI-powered Augmented Reality (AR) wearables for crime scene scanning and analysis developed by HTX. (Photo: HTX)
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Public sector and tech professionals flocked to HTX’s interactive booths. (Photo: HTX/Law Yong Wei)
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Desmond Choo, Minister of State, Ministry of Defence (centre), and Dr Saravana Kumarasamy, Deputy Director of the Human Factors & Simulation (HFS) Centre of Expertise (right) at an immersive exhibit by HFS, which uses modelling to create representations of the real world or hypothetical systems. (Photo: HTX)
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MOS Desmond Choo (left) strikes a pose with Ang Chee Wee, HTX Chief AI Officer and Assistant Chief Executive (Digital & Enterprise). (Photo: HTX)
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Jasmin Lau, Minister of State, Ministry of Digital Development and Information & Ministry of Education (second from left) with HTX Chief Executive Chan Tsan (second from right) and Ang Chee Wee, Chief AI Officer and Assistant Chief Executive (Digital & Enterprise) (right). (Photo: HTX)
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Hatch’s Dimension X Cohort 7 Demo Day also took place on Day 2 of MTX. Pictured here are representatives from Venti Technologies, which together with members of the Home Team have designed a centralised multi-fleet autonomous vehicle management system. (Photo: HTX/Janna Giam)
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Blackshark.ai, which was featured at Hatch’s Dimension X Cohort 7 Demo Day, has been working with scientists from HTX’s Forensics Centre of Expertise (CoE) to train their “HUNTR” model, to enable the detection and geo-tagging of evidence found at large-scale forensic scenes, such as post-blast environments. (Photo: HTX/Janna Giam)
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The Biometrics Symposium, one of MTX’s associated events on Day 2, convened representatives from the Home Team, industry and academia who discussed the operational challenges and systemic obstacles faced in the field. (Photo: HTX)
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During the “Future of Operations: Imagining Tomorrow’s Public Safety” panel discussion, experts explored how public safety has been, is being, and will be transformed by accelerating technology, shifting threat landscapes and shifting public expectations. (Photo: HTX)
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Handrie Amin, Deputy Director, Criminal Investigation Department, Royal Brunei Police Force, at the panel, “Safeguarding the Digital Frontier: Global Partnerships Against Scams.” Here, international public safety leaders shared how cross-border cooperation and collective action can strengthen global resilience against scams, especially in an era where they are becoming more sophisticated and international. (Photo: HTX)
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The panel, “Next-Generation Response: Integrating AI and Robotics into Public Safety,” explored how innovations in AI, data analytics, robotics and autonomous systems are transforming readiness, coordination and frontline response capabilities. (Photo: HTX)
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Panellists attending the “AI Transparency and Explainability: Can we Trust the Black Box?” discuss AI explainability and the role of AI ethics boards in ensuring fairness and accountability. (Photo: HTX)
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ACE (Science) Lim Chin Chin gives her opening address at the Spatial Imaging and Visualisation Workshop. Organised by HTX’s Forensics Centre of Expertise and the Human Factors & Simulation Centre of Expertise, it explored the latest advances in spatial imaging and visualisation, spanning innovations in imaging systems and immersive technologies that enable richer analysis and interpretation. (Photo: HTX)
