A decade ago, Singapore launched the Smart Nation initiative with a vision to transform the country into a place where people live meaningful lives enabled by technology and have exciting opportunities regardless of background.
Today, the PAP Government continues to realise this vision. It will strengthen Singapore’s artificial intelligence ecosystem to provide Singaporeans an advantage in an AI-driven future.
During a debate on spending by Ministry of Communication and Information (MCI) on March 1, Communications and Information Minister Josephine Teo outlined plans to develop AI talent in Singapore.
This follows Deputy Prime Minister Lawrence Wong’s earlier announcement in his Budget speech that the government will invest more than $1 billion over the next five years towards AI computing, talent, and industry development.
#1 Singapore to build a talent pool through accelerated Masters programme, visiting professorships
The government will partner AI Singapore and universities in Singapore to launch a new AI accelerated master’s programme to build a pipeline of Singaporean research talent, Mrs Teo said. The $7 million programme will support 50 Singaporean students over the next three years. AI Singapore, an institute founded through government partnerships, brings together research institutions, AI startups, and companies developing AI products to grow Singapore’s AI ecosystem.
Over the next three years, Government will invest over $20 million to enhance AI practitioner training for students. This will cover AI-related SG Digital scholarships and overseas internships in AI roles.
To attract world-class AI researchers to drive research here, Government also plans to award professorship to a pilot batch of five visiting professors over the next five years, she added. These experts must spend at least 20 per cent of their time on collaborations. They also must identify a local collaborator to anchor their activities here, MCI said.
According to the National AI Strategy 2.0, the pool of AI practitioners in Singapore will triple to 15,000 over the next five years.
IMDA will scale up the TechSkills Accelerator programme which helps to train fresh graduates and mid-career workers keen to become AI practitioners. Mrs Teo said it will provide funding support to employers to equip locals through industry-relevant training.
“We will equip the broader workforce to be confident AI users. This may be the best way to forestall AI-induced job displacement which many Members, including Mr Yip Hon Weng have expressed.”
#2 Supporting SMEs to benefit from AI
Senior Minister of State for MCI Tan Kiat How said the government will help small and medium-sized companies benefit from AI through the Infocomm Media Development Authority’s SMEs Go Digital programme. This includes helping SMEs to adopt pre-approved AI solutions and provide industry digital plans to guide different sectors on applying AI.
The government also launched two new schemes to help companies gain experience using generative AI. One provides a pilot group of SMEs access to 13 curated generative AI solutions for common functions like marketing and sales. The other scheme helps participating enterprises to develop and implement innovative generative AI solutions with help from tech partners, including large tech companies.
#3 Government to invest on advanced computer chips to support AI innovation
The government plans to invest up to $500 million to ensure Singapore has enough high-performance computing for AI innovation and capacity building.
The funds will be used to acquire and lease graphics processing units (GPUs) and other computer chips from global suppliers. The computer chips will support new AI applications in sectors like transportation, logistics, healthcare, and financial services.
Senior Minister of State for MCI Dr Janil Puthucheary said ensuring Singapore has the foundational infrastructure to power AI activities is critical.
“Over time, we hope this seed funding will catalyse greater development and use of AI in Singapore and spur additional industry investment in computing infrastructure.”
#4 Guidelines to advise organisations on the use of personal data in AI systems
The Personal Data Protection Commission issued guidelines to help business on using personal data within AI systems responsibly. The guidelines seek to encourage sensible AI usage and safeguard personal data that could train AI models.
MCI said the guidelines assure consumers that AI systems will appropriately use their personal data, in line with an organisation’s obligations under the Personal Data Protection Act. For instance, the guidelines encourage businesses to be more transparent when seeking consent for personal data usage, including through disclosure and notification.
#5 Potential digital infrastructure law to address security and resilience concerns
An inter-agency task force led by MCI is considering legislation to address security and resilience risks faced by key digital infrastructure. Mrs Teo said a potential Digital Infrastructure Act will focus on areas that could significantly impact the economy and society if disrupted.
According to MCI, this includes data centres and cloud providers that support services like banking, payments, ride-hailing, digital identities, and social media.
The Minister noted the law could mandate operators meet higher security and resilience standards to reduce the likelihood of widespread disruptions.
#6 Book venue, parking space for funeral wake via My Legacy portal
Family members of the deceased will soon be able to book venues for wake services and Housing Board parking space for the wake through the MyLegacy@LifeSG portal.
The Smart Nation Group and Government Technology Agency (GovTech) said several enhancements are planned for the portal over the next year.
Launched in January 2020, the My Legacy portal is accessible via the LifeSG app. It provides Singaporeans information and services like Central Provident Fund nomination, Lasting Power of Attorney, Advance Care Planning and will writing.
#7 Public service media is a “critical public pillar”
Mrs Teo stressed that SPH Media Trust plays a crucial role as public service media. It provides “critical infrastructure for our society” in an information landscape where truth competes with falsehoods.
She noted on matters deserving public attention, like critical global events, community news in vernacular languages, or parliamentary proceedings, profit-driven platforms may have little interest except to sensationalise or spin them.
“We also need public service media to tell Singapore’s stories and project Singapore’s voice. We cannot expect media organisations elsewhere to do so for us.”
The government will provide around S$260 million in funding to SPH Media Trust for the 2024 financial year, Mrs Teo said.
This is part of the S$900 million the government will provide SPH Media Trust over five years from 2022.
For fiscal year 2023, SPH Media failed to meet several key performance indicator (KPI) targets. They include their digital reach, youth reach, vernacular reach, average time spent on their websites and apps.
