SINGAPORE – Singapore must continue to get the fundamentals right as it transitions to an artificial intelligence world, which means ensuring that AI is not used as a shortcut for learning in schools.
At the same time, employers will need to be more deliberate in training and mentoring their junior hires, and this is something Singapore wants companies to pay attention to, said Prime Minister Lawrence Wong.
The Republic will also adopt AI at a pace whereby the benefits will be broad-based, and which uplifts the lives of all Singaporeans, he said at the DBS Asia Future Forward Conference on Oct 12.
“We want technology to translate into better lives for Singaporeans, so we are not trying to be an AI-driven society,” he said. “We are trying to be a better society enabled by AI.”
At a dialogue session with DBS chief executive officer Tan Su Shan at the Suntec Singapore Convention and Exhibition Centre, PM Wong said employers want workers who are AI literate, but who are also capable, able to think on their feet and exercise good judgement.
This is why students must continue to learn the basics such as maths and algebra. On this front, Singaporean students continue to do very well by international standards, he noted, citing metrics such as the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development’s Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) rankings.
The bigger adjustment is at the workplace because new hires are often tasked with doing the routine work that AI will replace. Yet, there is some value and tacit learning that comes from doing such work, and firms must be careful not to automate away the learning that comes from it, said PM Wong.
“We are working with our tripartite partners on this, because we want employers to harness AI fully to get the productivity benefits,” he said. “But we also want to make sure that employers pay attention to training and continue to nurture the next generation of industry leaders.”
At the dialogue, Tan referenced the pledge PM Wong made at 2026’s May Day Rally, where he said the Government will protect every worker, even if it may not be able to protect every job.
She asked if this meant Singapore was taking the harder road of going a bit slower on AI adoption so as not to leave anyone behind, given that “it’s easier to just say I’ll fire thousands of workers and just replace them with AI”.
PM Wong said Singapore has chosen the harder road, but that he believed this would be the more sustainable path in the long run.
The alternative, where AI is allowed to accelerate at such a pace that it causes massive global unemployment, would result in a very strong backlash against technology, he said. Even now, some of this pushback can be seen in some countries, he added.
“I don’t think the world can continue like that,” he said. “It will not be acceptable to many people around the world.”
For Singapore, PM Wong sketched out a scenario where AI is deployed at scale over a period of a decade or so, which would provide enough time for workers who are impacted to be reskilled and matched to new job opportunities.
For instance, the Government recognises that retrenchments will happen from time to time as companies automate and embrace technology.
“But do it properly – be fair to the workers,” he said. “Give the workers advance notification so that then the unions can come in and they can help the workers retrain and get new jobs.”
The Government will also help with more support programmes, he added. “If we all work in concert together, we can manage the transition and the impact of this very major technological shift.”
He added: “That’s what we are doing in Singapore, and hopefully that’s what over time the global economy will be able to do for the rest of the world as well.”
Prime Minister Lawrence Wong participating in a dialogue moderated by DBS Bank chief executive Tan Su Shan during the DBS Asia Future Forward Conference.
ST PHOTO: GAVIN FOO
Amid the technological changes, PM Wong said Singapore’s value proposition is to be an open system that different AI firms and partners from around the world can plug into.
This is the same approach that ASEAN will take as it strengthens its digital cooperation framework, he added.
PM Wong said the Digital Economy Framework Agreement (DEFA) that regional leaders are expected to sign at the upcoming ASEAN summit in Manila is a “first but important step” to harmonising the fragmented rules that businesses currently have to deal with.
The ultimate goal is to enable companies to scale their business more seamlessly across ASEAN and reduce the friction and costs of cross-border payments, but there is still a lot of work to be done, he added.
“Next year, when Singapore takes on the chair of ASEAN, we will look at how we can give some priority to some of these initiatives,” he said.