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Asia News Network
19 hours ago
- Business
- Asia News Network
From aviation to healthcare, workers have taken small steps to be early adopters of AI in Singapore
July 25, 2025 SINGAPORE – As part of a concerted push to become an artificial intelligence-savvy nation, there are plans to nurture a large pool of AI users across various sectors in Singapore's 3.5 million strong workforce. These AI early adopters – who could be lawyers, accountants, doctors – will show their peers how the technology can be useful for daily tasks, said Minister for Digital Development and Information Josephine Teo at an AI conference on July 22. The size of this pool of users will have to far exceed the 15,000 AI practitioners that Singapore already aims to nurture and hire, Mrs Teo said, detailing how small states can compete on the global AI stage dominated by big boys such as the US and China. Singapore has already taken small steps in various sectors. Here are some early developments: 1. Banking – AI coach provides career development advice In July, South-east Asia's largest lender DBS Bank launched a virtual career coach developed with an external vendor to help its staff figure out future career moves within the bank and the necessary training to accompany the moves. Powered by generative AI, this chatbot can pick out potential career shifts and give advice on what needs to be done to qualify for the dream role. The answers are customised based on the chatbot's understanding of an employee's current role, skill sets and personal motivation. It is also able to provide tips on how to demonstrate sought-after traits for such roles, and highlight the available support for formal training they may need. iCoach was trained on the banks' career development-related resources and advice from top leadership coach Marshall Goldsmith. The chatbot is available for use round the clock for employees in Singapore, Indonesia, China, Taiwan, Hong Kong and India to start with. The bank has around 41,000 employees across 19 markets currently. 2. Legal – AI service summarises case judgments for efficiency A new feature called LawNet AI, launched in 2024, has allowed around 6,000 lawyers in Singapore to say goodbye to sifting through endless walls of text contained within thousands of case judgments to prepare for their own cases. The Singapore Academy of Law and Infocomm Media Development Authority jointly developed the AI service, which can summarise case judgments that mostly exist as lengthy transcripts. It is accessible to users of the LawNet legal research portal, which nearly all lawyers subscribe to for looking up past cases and conducting research. Hundreds of AI-generated results were reviewed by justices' law clerks to reduce the risks of the AI service generating incorrect or nonsensical results. The reviewed copies were then fed back into the system, to increase its accuracy rate. Text in the generated summary is labelled with reference to the original sources, to help users fact-check the information with ease. 3. Healthcare – AI service helps nurses structure handover notes accurately It often takes up to one hour to hand over information about patients between shift changes. But an AI tool is being trialled at Alexandra Hospital to cut down the time taken to generate handover notes. CareScribe helps to summarise and structure handover notes for the incoming nursing shift, so nurses can use the time saved to tend to patients. 'Most handovers are currently conducted through verbal communication with handwritten documentation, which can present challenges in maintaining consistency and completeness,' said Dr Ravi Shankar, principal investigator and research fellow at Alexandra Hospital's medical affairs research office. CareScribe, which currently can be accessed via a webpage, allows nurses to upload photos or voice notes, which are then transcribed and summarised in a structured format. The notes are organised in an ABCDEFG template, which stands for acuity assessment, background history and behaviour, conditions and care plans, drugs, equipment, family and goals. Critical clinical information – such as patient safety alerts, medication-related updates and scheduled procedures – is also highlighted by the system. 4. Aviation – AI eye in the sky to scan airport runways for safety Through a series of high-definition cameras, an AI system used at Changi Airport helps to scan the runways for any debris or foreign objects that can damage aircraft or disrupt flights. Dubbed iFerret, the system can pick up on a variety of interference such as metal parts, wildlife, animal carcasses and other objects as small as 4cm round the clock. 'When it comes to flights, the most critical period is take-off and landing, and even something as small as a monitor lizard can be a disruption and impact the process,' said a spokesperson for technology services provider NCS, which collaborated with Changi to develop the system. iFerret acts as an extra set of eyes for air traffic controllers, instead of relying only on airport staff who scan the runways several times daily. It is also trained to avoid flagging images that are false alerts, such as reflections on a damp runway.
Straits Times
6 days ago
- Business
- Straits Times
From aviation to healthcare, workers have taken small steps to be early adopters of AI in Singapore
As part of a concerted push to become an artificial intelligence-savvy nation, there are plans to nurture a large pool of AI users across various sectors. SINGAPORE - As part of a concerted push to become an artificial intelligence-savvy nation, there are plans to nurture a large pool of AI users across various sectors in Singapore's 3.5 million strong workforce. These AI early adopters – who could be lawyers, accountants, doctors – will show their peers how the technology can be useful for daily tasks, said Minister for Digital Development and Information Josephine Teo at an AI conference on July 22. The size of this pool of users will have to far exceed the 15,000 AI practitioners that Singapore already aims to nurture and hire, Mrs Teo said, detailing how small states can compete on the global AI stage dominated by big boys such as the US and China. Singapore has already taken small steps in various sectors. Here are some early developments: 1. Banking – AI coach provides career development advice DBS' iCoach chatbot is available for use round the clock for employees in Singapore, Indonesia, China, Taiwan, Hong Kong, and India to start with. PHOTO: LIANHE ZAOBAO In July, South-east Asia's largest lender DBS Bank launched a virtual career coach developed with an external vendor to help its staff figure out future career moves within the bank and the necessary training to accompany the moves. Powered by generative AI, this chatbot can pick out potential career shifts and give advice on what needs to be done to qualify for the dream role. The answers are customised based on the chatbot's understanding of an employee's current role, skill sets and personal motivation. It is also able to provide tips on how to demonstrate sought-after traits for such roles, and highlight the available support for formal training they may need. Top stories Swipe. Select. Stay informed. Asia Live: Thailand, Cambodia clash with jets, rockets, artillery in deadly border row Asia 11 Thai civilians killed as Thai and Cambodian militaries clash at disputed border: Reports Singapore First BTO flats in Greater Southern Waterfront, Mount Pleasant to go on sale in October Singapore Boy, 15, charged after being caught with vapes 5 times; ordered to stay 2 years in S'pore Boys' Home Asia Vampire coach: Coercive blood sampling in school casts spotlight on Taiwan's 'obedient culture' Business MOM probing work injury claim flagged by late Sumo Salad boss Jane Lee: Dinesh Singapore What's key to a good life? Most Singapore residents choose emotional and mental well-being Singapore Over 2 years' jail for man who worked with wife to cheat her then boyfriend of $220k iCoach was trained on the banks' career development-related resources and advice from top leadership coach Marshall Goldsmith. The chatbot is available for use round the clock for employees in Singapore, Indonesia, China, Taiwan, Hong Kong and India to start with. The bank has around 41,000 employees across 19 markets currently. 2. Legal – AI service summarises case judgments for efficiency LawNet Technology Services chief executive and Singapore Academy of Law chief technology officer Kenta Kusano with LawNet, an AI service which can summarise case judgments that mostly exist as lengthy transcripts. PHOTO: ST FILE A new feature called LawNet AI , launched in 2024, has allowed around 6,000 lawyers in Singapore to say goodbye to sifting through endless walls of text contained within thousands of case judgments to prepare for their own cases. The Singapore Academy of Law and Infocomm Media Development Authority jointly developed the AI service, which can summarise case judgments that mostly exist as lengthy transcripts. It is accessible to users of the LawNet legal research portal, which nearly all lawyers subscribe to for looking up past cases and conducting research. Hundreds of AI-generated results were reviewed by justices' law clerks to reduce the risks of the AI service generating incorrect or nonsensical results. The reviewed copies were then fed back into the system, to increase its accuracy rate. Text in the generated summary is labelled with reference to the original sources, to help users fact-check the information with ease. 3. Healthcare – AI service helps nurses structure handover notes accurately CareScribe helps to summarise and structure handover notes for the incoming nursing shift, so nurses can use the time saved to tend to patients. PHOTO: LIANHE ZAOBAO It often takes up to one hour to hand over information about patients between shift changes. But an AI tool is being trialled at Alexandra Hospital to cut down the time taken to generate handover notes. CareScribe helps to summarise and structure handover notes for the incoming nursing shift, so nurses can use the time saved to tend to patients. 'Most handovers are currently conducted through verbal communication with handwritten documentation, which can present challenges in maintaining consistency and completeness,' said Dr Ravi Shankar, principal investigator and research fellow at Alexandra Hospital's medical affairs research office. CareScribe , which currently can be accessed via a webpage, allows nurses to upload photos or voice notes, which are then transcribed and summarised in a structured format. The notes are organised in an ABCDEFG template, which stands for acuity assessment, background history and behaviour, conditions and care plans, drugs, equipment, family and goals. Critical clinical information – such as patient safety alerts, medication-related updates and scheduled procedures – is also highlighted by the system. 4. Aviation – AI eye in the sky to scan airport runways for safety NCS Engineering Engineering Enterprise Project and Service Leadership co-lead Samuel Tan Pheng Seong (left), with his team, introducing iFerret. PHOTO: ST FILE Through a series of high-definition cameras, an AI system used at Changi Airport helps to scan the runways for any debris or foreign objects that can damage aircraft or disrupt flights. Dubbed iFerret , the system can pick up on a variety of interference such as metal parts, wildlife, animal carcasses and other objects as small as 4cm round the clock. 'When it comes to flights, the most critical period is take-off and landing, and even something as small as a monitor lizard can be a disruption and impact the process,' said a spokesperson for technology services provider NCS, which collaborated with Changi to develop the system. iFerret acts as an extra set of eyes for air traffic controllers, instead of relying only on airport staff who scan the runways several times daily. It is also trained to avoid flagging images that are false alerts, such as reflections on a damp runway.
Business Times
23-07-2025
- Business
- Business Times
Singapore to increase pool of early adopters in AI to complement data scientists, engineers
[SINGAPORE] Singapore plans to nurture an intrepid pool of artificial intelligence (AI) users to complement the data scientists and machine learning engineers it is currently training to take the nation into the digital future. 'We are talking about people who are in the professions – lawyers, accountants, doctors – who will become the early adopters of AI, and then they show their peers how to make better use of it,' said Minister for Digital Development and Information Josephine Teo on Jul 22, the first day of the Fortune Brainstorm AI conference at The Ritz-Carlton, Millenia Singapore. She was detailing how small states can develop their AI strategy to compete on a global stage dominated by large nations such as the US and China, during a fireside chat entitled 'Beyond scale: How small nations can lead in the age of AI'. The pool of AI users will have to far exceed the 15,000 AI practitioners that Singapore already aims to nurture and hire, Teo said. She noted that the nation's workforce numbers about 3.5 million, including those in manufacturing, healthcare and financial services. 'They can demonstrate how (AI) can create more value for their organisations,' said Teo, adding that more details on equipping the workforce with AI skills will be announced in the future. A NEWSLETTER FOR YOU Friday, 8.30 am Asean Business Business insights centering on South-east Asia's fast-growing economies. Sign Up Sign Up The minister was responding to a question from Fortune magazine's executive editor of Asia, Clay Chandler, about manpower development, as part of a larger dialogue on how Singapore is distinguishing its AI strategy on the global stage as a small island state. Plans to triple Singapore's talent pool of AI practitioners to 15,000 were first announced in December 2023. The group includes data and machine-learning scientists and engineers who are the backbone in translating AI into real-world apps. Teo also said small states can find their own niche to compete in a fast-changing market. In January 2025, China's DeepSeek launched its generative AI model that the start-up claimed cost only US$5.6 million (S$7.2 million) to train, a fraction of the hundreds of millions US tech giants have poured into training their large language models (LLMs). Since then, Chinese tech leaders have contributed to the market with several low-cost AI services. Said Teo: 'From the perspective of bringing down costs, innovations such as DeepSeek are very much welcome.' Citing how Singapore found its niche in a language model it developed for the region, she said there is room for innovation even for small states. 'I would also say this whole dynamic is not necessarily only a competitive one, it is also mutually reinforcing,' she said, referring to home-grown invention Sea-Lion. Developed by AI Singapore, Sea-Lion was trained on 13 languages including Javanese, Sudanese, Malay, Tamil, Thai and Vietnamese, as well as English and Chinese. 'We know that large language models that are trained primarily on a Western corpus... They will have difficulties being applied in the South-east Asian context,' said Teo. 'If you built AI tools on top of these LLMs that didn't incorporate the kind of data that can be found in our part of the world, naturally the quality and the way it performs and responds to prompts will perhaps not meet the requirements of Singapore as well as our neighbouring countries.' She added: 'Many companies, when they are thinking about how they can develop, for example, chat assistance that could be useful in our context, they would use a combination of both.' Sea-Lion has been tapped by some businesses for its language features, with Indonesia's GoTo Group among the first enterprises to adopt it as a base to build its own AI system. Singapore's space to innovate is expanded when factors such as ways to bring down costs and how AI models can complement one another are considered, said Teo. The Republic will also continue to engage all countries to build bilateral foundations and make headway in new technological fields, she added. The minister said this in response to a question from Chandler about how the country can maintain a stance that is strategically unaligned amid growing US-China tensions. She cited Singapore's dialogue with the US on critical and emerging technologies, and a dialogue with China on digital policy. She added: 'They cover different areas of interest that we mutually believe are important for our own countries, but it doesn't prevent us from seeking to understand each other's concerns better, and continuing to find ways to move forward. 'With Asean countries, even if we are not ready to move into the era of standards in AI governance, there's nothing to prevent us from agreeing on what the ethical principles could look like first.' THE STRAITS TIMES
Straits Times
22-07-2025
- Business
- Straits Times
S'pore to increase pool of early adopters in AI to complement data scientists, engineers
Minister for Digital Development and Information Josephine Teo (right) spoke with Clay Chandler, executive editor of Asia at Fortune Magazine, on day one of the Fortune Brainstorm AI conference. SINGAPORE - Singapore plans to nurture an intrepid pool of artificial intelligence (AI) users to complement the data scientists and machine learning engineers it is currently training to take the nation into the digital future. 'We're talking about people who are in the professions - lawyers, accountants, doctors - who will become the early adopters of AI and then they show their peers how to make better use of it,' said Minister for Digital Development and Information Josephine Teo on July 22, the first day of the Fortune Brainstorm AI conference at The Ritz-Carlton. Mrs Teo was detailing how small states can develop their AI strategy to compete on a global stage dominated by large nations such as the United States and China during a fireside chat entitled 'Beyond scale: How small nations can lead in the age of AI'. The pool of AI users will have to far exceed the 15,000 AI practitioners whom Singapore already aims to nurture and hire, she said. She noted that the nation's workforce number about 3.5 million including those in manufacturing, healthcare, and financial services. 'They can demonstrate how (AI) can create more value for their organisations,' said Mrs Teo, adding that more details to equip the workforce with AI skills will be announced in the future. Mrs Teo was responding to a question from Fortune magazine's executive editor of Asia Clay Chandler about manpower development, as part of a larger dialogue about how Singapore is distinguishing its AI strategy on a global stage as a small island state. Plans to triple Singapore's talent pool of AI practitioners to 15,000 was first announced in December 2023. The group includes data and machine-learning scientists and engineers who are the backbone of translating AI into real-world apps. Mrs Teo also said that small states can find their own niche to compete in a fast-changing market. In January 2025 , China's DeepSeek launched its generative AI model that the start-up claimed cost only US$5.6 million (S$7.1 million) to train. This is a fraction of the hundreds of millions US tech giants have poured into training their large-language models (LLMs). Since then, Chinese tech leaders have contributed to the market with several low-cost AI services. Said Mrs Teo: 'From the perspective of bringing down costs, innovations such as DeepSeek are very much welcome.' Citing how Singapore found its niche in a language model it developed for the region, she said there is room for innovation even for small states. 'I would also say this whole dynamic is not necessarily only a competitive one, it is also mutually reinforcing,' she said, referring to homegrown invention Sea-Lion. Developed by AI Singapore, Sea-Lion was trained on 13 languages i ncluding Javanese, Sudanese, Malay, Tamil, Thai and Vietnamese, as well as English and Chinese. 'We know that large-language models that are trained primarily on a Western will have difficulties being applied in the South-east Asian context,' said Mrs Teo. 'If you built AI tools on top of these LLMs that didn't incorporate the kind of data that can be found in our part of the world, naturally, the quality and the way it performs and responds to prompts, will perhaps not meet the requirements of Singapore as well as our neighbouring countries.' She added: 'Many companies, when they are thinking about how they can develop for example, chat assistance that could be useful in our context, they would use a combination of both.' Sea-Lion has been tapped by some businesses for its language features, with Indonesia's GoTo Group among the first enterprises to adopt it as a base to build its own AI system. Singapore's space to innovate is expanded when factors such as ways to bring down costs and how AI models can complement each other are considered, said Mrs Teo. Singapore will also continue to engage all countries to build bilateral foundations and make headway in new technological fields, said Mrs Teo. She said this in response to a question from Mr Chandler about how the country can maintain a stance that is strategically unaligned amidst growing tensions between US and China. She cited the country's dialogue with the US on critical and emerging technologies, and a dialogue with China on digital policy. She added: 'They cover different areas of interest that we mutually believe are important for our own countries, but it doesn't prevent us from seeking to understand each other's concerns better, and continuing to find ways to move forward. 'With ASEAN countries, even if we are not ready to move into the era of standards in AI governance, there's nothing to prevent us from agreeing on what the ethical principles could look like first.'
Straits Times
22-07-2025
- Business
- Straits Times
Singapore to increase pool of early adopters in AI to complement data scientists, engineers
Minister for Digital Development and Information Josephine Teo (right) spoke with Clay Chandler, executive editor of Asia at Fortune Magazine, on day one of the Fortune Brainstorm AI conference. SINGAPORE – Singapore plans to nurture an intrepid pool of artificial intelligence (AI) users to complement the data scientists and machine learning engineers it is currently training to take the nation into the digital future. 'We're talking about people who are in the professions – lawyers, accountants, doctors – who will become the early adopters of AI and then they show their peers how to make better use of it,' said Minister for Digital Development and Information Josephine Teo on July 22, the first day of the Fortune Brainstorm AI conference at The Ritz-Carlton, Millenia Singapore. Mrs Teo was detailing how small states can develop their AI strategy to compete on a global stage dominated by large nations such as the United States and China, during a fireside chat entitled 'Beyond scale: How small nations can lead in the age of AI'. The pool of AI users will have to far exceed the 15,000 AI practitioners that Singapore already aims to nurture and hire, she said. She noted that the nation's workforce numbers about 3.5 million, including those in manufacturing, healthcare and financial services. 'They can demonstrate how (AI) can create more value for their organisations,' said Mrs Teo, adding that more details on equipping the workforce with AI skills will be announced in the future. The minister was responding to a question from Fortune magazine's executive editor of Asia Clay Chandler about manpower development, as part of a larger dialogue on how Singapore is distinguishing its AI strategy on the global stage as a small island state. Top stories Swipe. Select. Stay informed. Singapore Singaporeans aged 21 to 59 can claim $600 SG60 vouchers from July 22 Singapore Singaporeans continue to hold world's most powerful passport in latest ranking Singapore Woman evacuated from lift in Supreme Court building after falling glass triggers emergency halt Asia Malaysian aide's unresolved 2009 death tests govt's reform pledge despite DAP chief's apology Singapore Prosecution says judge who acquitted duo of bribing ex-LTA official had copied defence arguments Singapore Singapore not affected by haze despite smoke plumes in Sumatra: NEA Singapore Miscalculation of MOH subsidies and grants led to $7m in overpayments, $2m in shortfalls Singapore Ports and planes: The 2 Singapore firms helping to keep the world moving Plans to triple Singapore's talent pool of AI practitioners to 15,000 were first announced in December 2023. The group includes data and machine-learning scientists and engineers who are the backbone in translating AI into real-world apps. Mrs Teo also said small states can find their own niche to compete in a fast-changing market. In January 2025, China's DeepSeek launched its generative AI model that the start-up claimed cost only US$5.6 million (S$7.2 million) to train. This is a fraction of the hundreds of millions US tech giants have poured into training their large language models (LLMs). Since then, Chinese tech leaders have contributed to the market with several low-cost AI services. Said Mrs Teo: 'From the perspective of bringing down costs, innovations such as DeepSeek are very much welcome.' Citing how Singapore found its niche in a language model it developed for the region, she said there is room for innovation even for small states. 'I would also say this whole dynamic is not necessarily only a competitive one, it is also mutually reinforcing,' she said, referring to home-grown invention Sea-Lion. Developed by AI Singapore, Sea-Lion was trained on 13 languages including Javanese, Sudanese, Malay, Tamil, Thai and Vietnamese, as well as English and Chinese. 'We know that large-language models that are trained primarily on a Western will have difficulties being applied in the South-east Asian context,' said Mrs Teo. 'If you built AI tools on top of these LLMs that didn't incorporate the kind of data that can be found in our part of the world, naturally, the quality and the way it performs and responds to prompts, will perhaps not meet the requirements of Singapore as well as our neighbouring countries.' She added: 'Many companies, when they are thinking about how they can develop for example, chat assistance that could be useful in our context, they would use a combination of both.' Sea-Lion has been tapped by some businesses for its language features, with Indonesia's GoTo Group among the first enterprises to adopt it as a base to build its own AI system. Singapore's space to innovate is expanded when factors such as ways to bring down costs and how AI models can complement each other are considered, said Mrs Teo. Singapore will also continue to engage all countries to build bilateral foundations and make headway in new technological fields, said Mrs Teo. She said this in response to a question from Mr Chandler about how the country can maintain a stance that is strategically unaligned amidst growing tensions between US and China. She cited the country's dialogue with the US on critical and emerging technologies, and a dialogue with China on digital policy. She added: 'They cover different areas of interest that we mutually believe are important for our own countries, but it doesn't prevent us from seeking to understand each other's concerns better, and continuing to find ways to move forward. 'With ASEAN countries, even if we are not ready to move into the era of standards in AI governance, there's nothing to prevent us from agreeing on what the ethical principles could look like first.'
