How Singapore confronts AI fears of ‘broken’ career ladder, no pause button

Singapore is aiming to turn its land and manpower limitations into reasons to embrace artificial intelligence (AI) rather than fear it, despite concerns about job losses and cyber threats associated with the technology, according to Senior Minister Josephine Teo. Speaking at the Family Business Summit in Hong Kong, Teo argued that pragmatism would give Singapore an advantage without excessive reliance on a single power or AI provider.

She warned that AI advances faster than societies can adapt, leaving younger workers facing a "broken rung" on the career ladder. "Our biggest challenge today is that the timeline is very compressed, whereas human society previously had much more time to adapt to the impact of technological change," Teo stated. Teo highlighted concerns about AI shifting revenue models for governments, potentially impacting public service delivery.

She noted a slowdown in AI-driven economic growth in Singapore, but remained optimistic about the technology's potential. Singapore plans to invest over S$1 billion (US$780 million) over five years in AI research to enhance capabilities and global competitiveness. Teo outlined five imperatives guiding Singapore's AI policy: infrastructure, workforce and enterprise capabilities, governance, regulations, and international cooperation.

While AI sovereignty is a topic of global interest, Teo believes achieving it would be difficult for most countries, as Singapore prioritizes using AI on its own terms by developing capabilities and connecting to various innovation ecosystems. With growing tensions in the AI race between superpowers, Singapore serves as a neutral ground and is considering joining both the US-led Pax Silica and the Shanghai-based World Artificial Intelligence Cooperation Organisation (Waico).

Teo emphasized that Singapore's participation in these initiatives depends on the obligations and commitments involved, and the country is open to discussing them.