Latest news with #JosephineTeo
Straits Times
7 hours ago
- 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
7 hours ago
- 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. 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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.'
Straits Times
4 days ago
- Straits Times
AI drone, land rover robot from Ngee Ann Secondary outsmart rivals in youth tech contest
Find out what's new on ST website and app. Minister for Digital Development and Information Josephine Teo (centre) with the National Youth Tech Championship winning team comprising (clockwise from bottom left) Karen Aurelia Ho, Athaalaa Altaf Hafidz, Wilson Tedja Herryanto and Lee Jia Qi from Ngee Ann Secondary School. SINGAPORE – Buzzing drones equipped with cameras and sensors fly adeptly through a series of obsta cles. Next, the drones detect the colours of three balls on a table – red, blue and yellow – and use their propellers to blow each ball into a matching tube. Finally, the drones land on a target spot marked by logos on a stair-like platform. These are not remote controlled devices but artificial intelligence (AI)-enabled drones able to navigate an obstacle course autonomously. Over six weeks of training, more than 320 students from 67 secondary schools programmed these drones to compete in the National Youth Tech Championship 2025. This is the highest ever participation since the event debuted in 2023. The championship, organised by the Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA) and Google Cloud in partnership with Singapore Institute of Technology (SIT), is one of the largest AI drone competitions for youth here. Back for a third season, it serves as the premier c onte st for Infocomm Media Club students. The final took place at SIT's Punggol campus on July 18, involving 55 finalists from 12 teams. Top stories Swipe. Select. Stay informed. Singapore Critical infrastructure in S'pore under attack by cyber espionage group: Shanmugam Singapore Who is UNC3886, the group that attacked Singapore's critical information infrastructure? Singapore HSA looking to get anti-vape cyber surveillance tool with AI capabilities Singapore Singapore police in contact with Indonesian authorities over baby trafficking allegations Singapore Alleged Kpod peddler filmed trying to flee raid in Bishan charged with 6 offences Singapore NTU upholds zero grade for student accused of using AI in essay; panel found 14 false citations or data Singapore 30% of aviation jobs could be redesigned due to AI, automation; $200m fund to support workers: CAAS Singapore Former NUH male nurse faces charges after he allegedly molested man at hospital The first half of the competition consisted of an obstacle course where teams scored points for each obstacle their flying drones cleared successfully. The second half, dubbed The Battleground, took place in a ground arena. Land rover robots had to collect cube-shaped tokens and bring them to a team's home ground. Teams earned points for each token retrieved. Based on their total score, the top two teams Ngee Ann Secondary School and Dunman Secondary School advanced to a Grand Final – where additional points were awarded in The Battleground for stealing the opponent's tokens. After a tense showdown, the four-member team from Ngee Ann Secondary triu mphe d. Lee Jia Qi, 17, a member of the victorious side, said: 'It was kind of unbelievable that we won the competition. It's just a very nice feeling.' What the Secondary 3 student found most fascinating about AI drones is image recognition. 'Image recognition, if we just code it out, will seem impossible,' he noted. However, by feeding the AI model with images of logos used to mark target spots, the drones were able to land accurately on these spots. The land robot controlled by eventual winners Ngee Ann Secondary School team, successfully picks up a points token at the National Youth Tech Championship on July 18. ST PHOTO: CHONG JUN LIANG The National Youth Tech Championship equips youth with skills to program intelligent agents like these. Its focus aligns with Singapore's National AI Strategy 2.0 which aims to harness AI for the public good. For this year's iteration, IMDA forged a new partnership with SIT which involved 14 undergraduate mentors guiding participants in training sessions. Mr Brendan Tan, 24, a second-year software engineering student, said the most rewarding part of mentoring is 'seeing them solve the problems on their own'. His role saw him troubleshooting code and encouraging the students when they felt demotivated. SIT student mentor Brendan Tan at the National Youth Tech Championship on July 18. ST PHOTO: CHONG JUN LIANG 'As tech mentors, we don't give them the right answers,' he explained. 'We point them in the correct direction. What this does is it allows them to understand the technical details of the problems. 'In the future, they can solve similar problems by themselves.' Minister for Digital Development and Information, Mrs Josephine Teo, who attended the final, said in her closing remarks: 'There is so much we can do for Singapore through digital technologies.' 'I believe that when you bring your passions to the table, not only will you find this to be a very rewarding experience for yourself, you will also find many opportunities to contribute to Singapore,' she added.
Singapore Law Watch
6 days ago
- Politics
- Singapore Law Watch
Countering misinformation requires both laws and access to trusted news sources: Josephine Teo
Countering misinformation requires both laws and access to trusted news sources: Josephine Teo Source: Straits Times Article Date: 17 Jul 2025 Author: Goh Yan Han Minister for Digital Development and Information Josephine Teo said Singapore must try to prevent 'cracks in our infrastructure of fact'. Laws against fake news and manipulated content during elections will continue to be essential in safeguarding Singaporeans against information threats, but by themselves they are not enough to push back against misinformation, Minister for Digital Development and Information Josephine Teo said on July 16. Instead, the Republic must try to prevent 'cracks in our infrastructure of fact', which pave the way for rogue actors to dominate its media and information landscape, as has happened elsewhere, said Mrs Teo. That is why the Government has stepped in to support public service media, she added, which ensures that Singaporeans have continued access to trusted news sources, and to uphold the integrity of the city-state's infospace. 'Our long-term goal remains unchanged, and that is to nurture a resilient information ecosystem – one where truth can stand on its own, and public trust is anchored in an informed, engaged and discerning citizenry,' she said at the Singapore Press Club Awards 2025 held at Pan Pacific Singapore. These efforts to counter misinformation are crucial because Singapore, as a diverse and open society, will always be susceptible to the dangers of misinformation, she said. Mrs Teo cited examples from the 2020 General Election, when there were falsehoods on projected population figures and Covid-19 testing of foreign workers; and the 2023 Presidential Election, when there was a false claim that the Government could trace how individuals voted and penalise them for their choices. Such attempts at misinformation could be addressed 'to some extent' with the Protection from Online Falsehoods and Manipulation Act (Pofma), which came into force in 2019. This is as Pofma does not generally take a falsehood out of circulation but requires that a correction notice be carried alongside it, which means people can continue to believe the falsehood despite it being called out. Lies also tend to travel faster than the truth, she added. 'We are realistic that a factual correction does not reach everyone who had seen the falsehood.' The risks during the recent May 3 general election were much greater with the availability of artificial intelligence-generated deepfakes, she noted. A compressed election timeline – there were nine days of campaigning during GE2025 – meant that the window to react was extremely narrow, said Mrs Teo. 'We therefore needed to be absolutely clear what was permitted and what was not, and who was accountable for validating the suspected content,' she added. In October 2024, the authorities put in new safeguards when election laws were amended. The Elections (Integrity of Online Advertising) (Amendment) Act, or Eliona, prohibits digitally generated or manipulated election-related content that realistically misrepresents a candidate's speech or actions during the election period. Candidates have to declare whether content featuring them was true or false, and a wrongful declaration could have led to the result of their election being voided. Thankfully, GE2025 did not see a surge in egregious misinformation or malicious synthetic content, said Mrs Teo. Neither Pofma nor Eliona was invoked during the recent election. She added that Singapore is fortunate that its public service media remain trusted institutions, with the recent Reuters Digital News Report having found that 75 per cent of respondents trusted The Straits Times, while 74 per cent trusted CNA. 'These are outstanding achievements, especially when compared against the global average trust in media, which stands at just around 40 per cent,' she noted. Going forward, Mrs Teo said public service media has to continue developing the right talent and instincts to provide quality journalistic content for Singaporeans. 'Content is still key. Information is the currency of the industry, and your insight is what sets you apart from the rest. This is also your mission and duty to your audiences,' she said to a room of over 240 guests, including journalists past and present. Media outlets here must also keep pace with technology and the changing preferences of audiences by investing in new capabilities, adopting new processes and creating new products. Mrs Teo cited SPH Media's in-house multimedia facility Studio+65, which allows for virtual production, audiovisual storytelling and digital content creation. Mediacorp has also deployed AI in its newsrooms, automating translation and subtitling processes, she noted. In her speech, Mrs Teo spotlighted some award winners for innovating and finding new ways of bringing important stories to readers. They included ST senior correspondent Stephanie Yeo, who won a health journalism award for her well-researched reports on women's health issues that raised awareness of conditions such as endometriosis and menopause and their available treatment options. Endometriosis is a condition whereby tissue similar to the womb lining grows outside of the womb. Mrs Teo said public service media in Singapore has defied the odds and avoided the fates of many of its international counterparts, and that generations of journalists played an important role in fostering a thriving and vibrant media ecosystem here. 'It is fair to say that journalism has never been an easy job, and it has become only harder in recent decades. But you have soldiered on with a tireless commitment to excellence,' she said. 'Your dedication to the craft has been instrumental in upholding truth and trust in Singapore's information space, shaping an informed audience and a stronger Singapore.' Source: The Straits Times © SPH Media Limited. Permission required for reproduction. Print
Straits Times
6 days ago
- Politics
- Straits Times
Syria says pulling troops from Druze heartland after US request, Israeli strikes
Find out what's new on ST website and app. Syrian security forces walking along a street in the southern Druze city of Sweida on July 16. DAMASCUS - Syria announced that its army had begun to withdraw from violence-hit Sweida on July 16, following a wave of Israeli strikes on the capital and a US call for government forces to leave the majority-Druze southern city. The United States, which is close allies with Israel and has been trying to reboot its relationship with Syria, said an agreement had been reached to restore calm in the area, and urged 'all parties to deliver on the commitments they have made'. The Syrian government earlier announced a new ceasefire in Sweida that would bring a halt to military operations there, after clashes that a war monitor said had left more than 300 people dead since July 13. The Syrian army 'has begun withdrawing from the city of Sweida in implementation of the terms of the adopted agreement, after the end of the sweep of the city for outlaw groups', a defence ministry statement said. The statement did not mention any withdrawal of other government security forces, which had deployed to the city on July 15 with the stated aim of overseeing a previous truce agreed with Druze community leaders following days of deadly fighting with local Bedouin tribes. That ceasefire appeared to have little effect, however, with witnesses reporting that the government forces joined with the Bedouin in attacking Druze fighters and civilians in a bloody rampage through the city. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights war monitor said that the violence in Sweida province had left more than 300 people dead, including government forces, local fighters and 27 Druze civilians killed in 'summary executions'. Top stories Swipe. Select. Stay informed. Singapore Over 600 Telegram groups in Singapore selling, advertising vapes removed by HSA Singapore 2 weeks' jail for man caught smuggling over 1,800 vapes and pods into Singapore Singapore Jail for man who fatally hit his daughter, 2, while driving van without licence Sport 'Like being in a washing machine with 40 deg C water': Open water swimmers brave challenging conditions Singapore Primary 1 registration: 38 primary schools to conduct ballot in Phase 2A Singapore ComfortDelGro to introduce new taxi cancellation, waiting fee policy Business Cathay Cineplexes gets fresh demands to pay up $3.3m debt for Century Square, Causeway Point outlets Singapore Countering misinformation requires both laws and access to trusted news sources: Josephine Teo The Syrian presidency vowed to investigate the 'heinous acts' in Sweida and to punish 'all those proven to be involved'. Damascus strikes Israel, which has its own Druze community, has presented itself as a defender of the group, although some analysts say that is a pretext for pursuing its own military goal of keeping Syrian government forces as far from their shared frontier as possible. Following the fall of Syria's longtime ruler Bashar al-Assad in December, the Israeli military took control of the UN-monitored demilitarised zone in the Golan Heights and conducted hundreds of strikes on military targets in Syria. After carrying out air strikes in Sweida province earlier this week in what it said was defence of the Druze, Israel launched a series of attacks on the capital Damascus on July 16. More on this topic Israel launches heavy airstrikes in Damascus, vowing to protect Syria's Druze community AFP images showed the side of a building in the defence ministry complex in ruins after one strike, as smoke billowed over the area. Israel said it had also struck a 'military target' in the area of the presidential palace, while a Syrian interior ministry source reported strikes outside the capital in 'the vicinity of the Mazzeh (military) airport'. Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz called on Damascus to 'leave the Druze in Sweida alone', and threatened to unleash 'painful blows' until government forces pulled back. Syria's foreign ministry slammed the attacks as a 'dangerous escalation', while Israel's military chief insisted his forces were 'acting with responsibility, restraint and sound judgment'. The Syrian health ministry said that at least three people were killed and 34 wounded in the strikes on Damascus. Halt to Sweida operations Announcing the new ceasefire on July 16, Syria's interior ministry said there would be a 'total and immediate halt to all military operations', as well as the formation of a committee comprising government representatives and Druze spiritual leaders to supervise its implementation. An AFP correspondent in Sweida, however, reported hearing gunfire in the city even after the announcement. In a video carried by state television, Sheikh Youssef Jarboua, one of Syria's main Druze spiritual leaders, read out the 10 points of the accord, which also includes 'the full integration of the province' of Sweida into the Syrian state. Until now, Druze areas have been controlled by fighters from the minority community. The latest fighting was the most serious outbreak of violence in Syria since government forces battled Druze fighters in Sweida province and near Damascus in April and May, leaving more than 100 people dead. The clashes between the Bedouin and the Druze that first prompted the government deployment were triggered by the kidnapping of a Druze vegetable merchant, according to the Observatory. The two groups have been at loggerheads for decades. The Islamist authorities have had strained relations with Syria's patchwork of religious and ethnic minorities, and have been repeatedly accused of not doing enough to protect them. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio had expressed concern on July 16 about the Israeli bombings, adding 'we want it to stop'. A State Department spokesperson said Washington was also asking Syria to 'withdraw their military in order to enable all sides to de-escalate'. Mr Rubio later announced on X that all sides had 'agreed on specific steps that will bring this troubling and horrifying situation to an end'. 'This will require all parties to deliver on the commitments they have made and this is what we fully expect them to do,' he wrote, without elaborating on the nature of the agreement. AFP
