singapore – Prime Minister Lawrence Wong said on June 8 that artificial intelligence can improve productivity in labor-shortage cities like Singapore.
He said that although the technology poses risks, including to jobs and security, he thought Singapore was generally positive. Dialogue hosted by Singapore Press Club Held at SPH Media Auditorium, Toa Payoh.
“We can really use AI to really transform our processes and operations and make them much more productive, and in a city like Singapore, we’re always there. labor shortage – If you talk to businesses and employers, they are always looking for talent and cannot afford to keep importing labor,” he said.
“We need to be more productive, and I think AI can be a game changer.”
Wong added that the important thing is not to use AI in a very superficial way, such as just running an AI chatbot.
“The key is to start incorporating AI and thinking about how it will transform processes across the organization, and that takes time.”
However, it is unclear how AI will ultimately impact the labor market. “In the long run, are we going to have more work or less work at the end of the day?” he said.
“We should have the humility to say we don’t know the answer. No one can predict what the future will hold.”
What is certain is that there will be disruption to existing jobs, Wong said. Roles and tasks may be automated, and the pace of change is accelerating.
Mr Wong answered questions about the government’s approach to helping workers gain an edge by mastering artificial intelligence, and the impact of technology on city-states like Singapore.
Singapore is therefore focused on helping businesses better leverage AI to improve productivity and operations, and helping workers adapt, upskill and upskill for better jobs as businesses transform, he added.
“I think we can do that in Singapore. We are small enough and have strong trilateral partnerships that we can guide how we deploy AI in our country to ensure that AI complements workers and that AI benefits workers and serves humanity, and not the other way around.”
This is one aspect in which Singapore has some confidence in AI. “We are not passive bystanders; we have agency.”
Wong said that while ideally there would be a global framework for how AI is developed, it is currently a “tall order” as it would be difficult for the US, China and other major powers to agree on such a framework in the short term.
Prime Minister Wong points out that the AI revolution is still in its very early stages. As with any technology revolution, everyone gets “excited” at first, but the actual transformation of organizations and the development of new business models takes time.
“There’s going to be a lot of hype along the way, and there’s going to be some companies that fail, some that don’t do well, and then some that succeed.”
Mr Wong said the public service is currently examining its own internal processes and considering how AI can improve the processes used to serve Singaporeans.
He also provided an update on his work National AI Council, It was formed in February and is chaired by him.
He said the council has begun meetings to consider interesting applications of AI that could be considered in areas such as advanced manufacturing, healthcare and finance. These are one of the sectors it is In February, the council announced that it would launch and promote an AI mission.
“I think there are many exciting applications in each of these areas that have the potential to really improve lives, increase productivity and ultimately lead Singapore to a better and stronger position.”
