Singapore is set to expand its pool of artificial intelligence (AI) users to support the data scientists and machine learning engineers currently being trained. Minister for Digital Development and Information, Josephine Teo, highlighted the importance of professionals such as lawyers, accountants, and doctors becoming early adopters to demonstrate AI’s value within their fields. Singapore aims to surpass its initial target of nurturing 15,000 AI practitioners, which includes data and machine-learning scientists and engineers.
Teo emphasized the potential for small states to carve out a niche in the global AI landscape, despite the dominance of larger nations like the US and China. She cited innovations such as China’s cost-effective AI model, DeepSeek, and Singapore’s own language model, Sea-Lion, which was designed to cater to the unique linguistic needs of the Southeast Asian region. Sea-Lion supports multiple languages, including Javanese, Malay, and Vietnamese, and has been adopted by companies like Indonesia’s GoTo Group.
The minister also discussed Singapore’s strategic approach to maintaining neutrality amid US-China tensions, engaging in dialogues with both nations on emerging technologies. Singapore continues to collaborate with ASEAN countries on ethical AI governance, aiming to establish common principles despite varying levels of readiness for AI standards.
