The Singaporean government has announced the second edition of the Singapore National AI Strategy (NAIS 2.0), following the initial plan introduced in 2019. This updated strategy views AI as a transformation from something that should exist to something that is necessary. It shifts from fragmented projects to integrated systems and from a national focus to a global perspective.
Lawrence Wong, the Singaporean Deputy Prime Minister responsible for this initiative, stated that AI has evolved from identifying patterns to becoming a more complex system with enhanced capabilities. Soon, AI will possess human-like skills and decision-making abilities, which will impact both human lives and society.
NAIS 2.0 aims to achieve two specific goals:
1. Excellence: Singapore aims to become globally renowned for its outstanding achievements in AI.
2. Empowerment: The country invites its citizens and businesses to confidently embrace AI as a tool for reducing societal disparities.
To achieve these goals, Singapore has outlined ten key initiatives divided into three categories:
1. AI Centres of Excellence: Businesses are encouraged to establish AI research and development centers in Singapore. Notably, American Express has already set up such a center. Additionally, AI will be implemented in government IT systems to support the work of civil servants. One example of this is the Pair app, starting with the chatbot called Piar Chat, which utilizes the LLM model, similar to ChatGPT.
2. Prioritizing Research Budgets: Singapore will allocate more funds for AI research projects and facilitate collaboration between research institutions and private companies to solve 100 industry-specific challenges. The government will provide financial support, and public-private partnerships will be formed to acquire GPUs for research purposes.
3. Attracting Global AI Talent: Singapore plans to recruit AI researchers and developers globally, implementing a rigorous selection process. Moreover, they will enhance AI training programs with a target of training at least 15,000 individuals.
Furthermore, additional initiatives include developing an AI Readiness Index (AIRI) to help the private sector assess their readiness to adopt AI, establishing AI knowledge exchange centers for both locals and international experts, increasing the number of computers dedicated to AI processing through collaborations with major cloud service providers and chip manufacturers, and building a privacy-preserving technological infrastructure that enables businesses to analyze data while maintaining user privacy. The government also plans to release more public data to foster the development of AI-based public services. Lastly, Singapore aims to establish robust cybersecurity measures to ensure trust, confidence, and responsibility within the local AI industry. By achieving these initiatives, Singapore envisions itself as a global leader in AI through international collaboration.
TLDR: Singapore has unveiled NAIS 2.0, its updated national AI strategy. This strategy aims to transform AI from an opportunity to a necessity, shifting towards system integration and global impact. The goals of NAIS 2.0 are excellence and empowerment. Singapore plans to establish AI centers of excellence, prioritize research funding, attract global AI talent, and develop various AI-related infrastructure, training programs, and cybersecurity measures. Through these initiatives, Singapore aims to become a global AI leader.
Leave a Comment