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AS THE race for artificial intelligence (AI) dominance intensifies, Singapore is charting a unique course – one that balances cutting-edge technology with the human elements of trust and personal relationships.

Speaking at The Business Times Asia Future Summit on Monday (Oct 7), Education Minister Chan Chun Sing outlined the nation’s approach to AI development, emphasising the importance of maintaining “high touch” and “high trust” in an increasingly high-tech world.

Singapore’s AI strategy extends beyond simply adopting technology for efficiency gains, Chan explained.

“AI is a lot of ‘high-tech’ – it can help us in a lot of things. But the more high-tech it is, I think there’s also a need for the ‘high touch’ and ‘high trust’,” he said, referring to human connections and ethical standards.

The minister made these remarks during an AI-focused conference at Shangri-La Singapore, where he was the guest of honour and participated in a panel discussion.

OCBC was the presenting sponsor of the event, with Huawei as the event partner.

Other panellists included Lim Khiang Tong, group chief operating officer at OCBC, and Leslie Teo, senior director of AI products at AI Singapore.

The panel discussion was moderated by Claressa Monteiro, head of audio at BT.

During the panel exchange, Chan highlighted the example of investment banking, where data-driven insights play an increasingly important role in decision-making.

However, he stressed that personal relationships between clients and bankers remain crucial.

“I’m not sure that today, we will ask ChatGPT to tell us where to put our money,” Chan quipped, referring to the AI language model developed by OpenAI.

Building trust

The notion of trust also feeds into Singapore’s aspirations to position itself as a hub for international collaboration.

Chan highlighted that Singapore’s reputation for strong intellectual property protection and data security positions it as an attractive partner for international players seeking a safe environment for AI development.

As global geopolitical tensions rise, the country could emerge as “a trusted and neutral place where people can bring the best of technology together, to collaborate and not just compete”, Chan noted.

He added: “The question for us is… how do we not get caught in this (situation) of bifurcation or fragmentation, but instead, be the bridge to bring people together?”

He referenced a recent discussion with the Singapore University of Technology and Design (SUTD) on how the institution could deepen its focus on AI, particularly in design-related fields.

SUTD could bridge global technological divides by integrating both American and Chinese AI models, starting with less sensitive areas such as design.

This approach would help establish Singapore as a neutral ground for AI collaboration while fostering innovation and trust in a fragmented world, Chan said.

He also cautioned against framing AI as a zero-sum “arms race”, urging that the technology be seen as a catalyst for collective progress rather than competition.

From an AI perspective, Chan highlighted four key goals for Singapore: augmenting human capabilities, regenerating capacities, mastering skills, and surpassing current limits.

In education, for example, AI enables personalised learning, helping overcome the traditional “tri-lemma” of scale, speed, and affordability by customising lessons to each student’s needs, he noted.

AI-driven efficiency

AI can also enhance current jobs by automating mundane tasks, freeing up time for employees to focus on more valuable work, said AI Singapore’s Dr Teo.

For instance, healthcare professionals such as nurses and doctors often spend significant time transcribing data, while coders struggle with documentation issues.

By automating these tasks, AI allows workers to concentrate on more impactful responsibilities, improving efficiency across various sectors, Dr Teo said.

An example of AI adoption driving productivity gains can be seen at OCBC, which has integrated AI tools to streamline its operations, OCBC’s Lim said.

Two years ago, the bank introduced an internal generative AI chatbot to streamline staff workflows.

“Instead of going to the intranet to search for information – thousands of documents, which can be quite time consuming – the staff can ask (the chatbot) questions… and get an answer in seconds,” Lim said.

Since its launch, usage of the tool has surged from around 10,000 queries per month to approximately 250,000 monthly, he noted.

Additionally, the bank uses AI to help relationship managers by summarising key talking points before client meetings.

OCBC has also implemented AI tools to support developers in coding, debugging, and documentation tasks, boosting productivity by up to 20 per cent across different teams and enabling staff to focus on higher-value work, Lim added.