Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Finance, Heng Swee Keat, announced today that Singapore will embark on a plan to develop and use Artificial Intelligence (AI) to transform Singapore’s economy and improve the lives of citizens. This plan is outlined in the National AI Strategy document that was unveiled at the SFF X SWITCH (Singapore FinTech Festival and Singapore Week of Innovation and TeCHnology) Conference.

The National AI Strategy is key to the next stage of our Smart Nation journey. Its objectives are:

• For our Government and businesses to use AI to generate economic value and improve lives.
• For Singapore to be a global hub for developing, test-bedding, deploying, and scaling AI solutions; as well as govern and manage the impact of AI.
• For our society to understand the benefits, limitations and risks of AI; and our workforce to be equipped with the necessary competencies to thrive in an AI-driven economy.

National AI Projects

The key approach is to adopt a human-centric approach, and focus on delivering tangible benefits to citizens and businesses through AI. In line with this, we have identified five National AI Projects for a start, to use AI technologies to address key national challenges and deliver impactful social and/or economic benefits to Singaporeans. These projects are in:

a)  Transport and Logistics: Intelligent Freight Planning

b)  Smart Cities and Estates: Seamless and Efficient Municipal Services

c)  Healthcare: Chronic Disease Prediction and Management

d)  Education: Personalised Education Through Adaptive Learning and Assessment

e)  Safety and Security: Border Clearance Operations

Singapore will develop and implement the National AI Strategy iteratively, to respond to the rapidly changing technology landscape and to seize new opportunities brought about by AI. Beyond the five National AI Projects, we will continue to apply AI in areas that will deliver impact to Singaporeans.

AI Ecosystem Enablers

The National AI strategy also outlines the development of five key enablers to anchor a vibrant and sustainable AI ecosystem, and drive AI innovation and adoption across the economy.

Triple Helix Partnership between the Research Community, Industry and Government

Singapore will strengthen partnerships and the collective capabilities between the research community, industry, and Government to accelerate the deployment and commercialisation of AI solutions. This will build on existing AI R&D capabilities in our research landscape, and an existing S$500 million investment to further AI research, innovation and enterprise under the Research, Innovation and Enterprise 2020 Plan.

AI Talent and Education

We will prepare Singaporeans in the relevant multidisciplinary skills to take on high- quality AI jobs; and apply AI solutions to their respective domains. We will also plug into the global flow of ideas and talent to drive technological development.

Data Architecture

We will strengthen the collective ability of the public and private sector to manage and exchange data in a secure manner, so that AI algorithms may have good access to high quality datasets for training and testing.

Progressive and Trusted Environment

We will proactively address issues related to risk brought about by AI technologies, including through the Advisory Council on the Ethical Use of AI and Data and the Model AI Governance Framework. This builds on the trust that citizens and consumers have of the Government and the private sector to use AI in a responsible, secure manner for societal benefit.

International Collaboration

Singapore aims to learn from companies and jurisdictions across the world, on the effective deployment of AI. We aim to be an attractor of good ideas; and particularly for the National AI projects, to be a venue that can nimbly adapt, test and deploy such ideas as real-life solutions. We also aim to contribute as a thought leader in setting AI-related policies and standards, by working closely with key international organisations and standard-setting organisations.

National AI Office

Building an AI-enabled Singapore requires researchers, businesses and Government to work closely with one another and with the public. The National AI Strategy requires dedicated attention and a sustained drive. To this end, the National AI Office under the Smart Nation and Digital Government Office was established on 1 October 2019 to set the national agenda for AI and to catalyse efforts across research, industry and Government stakeholders to work on national AI priorities.

Learn more here: https://www.smartnation.sg/why-Smart-Nation/NationalAIStrategy

Find out more in the National AI Strategy document below.