Artificial intelligence has never been cooler. Forbes Business Council has reported that more than 250 million companies worldwide have adopted AI to improve their operations. As more companies and countries embrace AI and explore how best it will benefit them, one nation recognized its advantages eight years ago. We’re talking about Singapore.
Before ChatGPT and generative AI gained global traction over the last few years, Singapore had seen that AI technology could revolutionize its important sectors, such as education, healthcare, banking, and finance.
According to Singapore’s Personal Data Protection Commission, the city-state was among the first countries in the APAC region to adopt AI. As early as 2016, the government was looking into how it could use chatbots in public services using Microsoft technology. Then in 2019, it published AI Verify, the first set of guidelines in Asia for ethical AI use.
Fast forward to today, Singapore has distinguished itself in the global community for how it uses AI in disease diagnosis, pharmaceutical development, personalized customer support, and edge computing.
The public’s familiarity with the concept of big data, coupled with innovation-driven initiatives from corporations and government institutions, has hastened the advancement of AI in Singapore and the rest of the world.
According to Oxford’s Government AI Readiness Index 2023, Singapore has a readiness index of 81.97 out of 100, much higher than the regional average of 55.49. Statista projects that the AI market will account for 33.38% of Singapore’s GDP by 2030.
Meanwhile, Manpower Minister Tan See Leng said Singapore was investing $1 billion over the next five years into a national AI strategy to develop the advanced tech industry and equip its citizens with the needed skills.
