Singapore refreshes Smart Nation plan for next phase of tech journey

lt outlines ways to grow Al ecosystem, build online safety and foster inclusivity

- Irene Tham

Plans are afoot to equip scientists and students with artificial intelligence (AI) know-how and offer swift remedies to victims traumatized by cyber bullying and deepfakes circulating online, as Singapore charts its next Smart Nation milestones.

Announcing the refreshed Smart Nation 2.0 plan on Oct 1, Prime Minister Lawrence Wong said that Singapore must sharpen its focus on what he described as the "three building blocks" in the next phase of its journey to becoming a technologically enabled nation.

The building blocks of growth, community and trust go beyond a narrow focus on digitalization, the hallmark of Singapore's first Smart Nation plan launched in 2014.

"The digital landscape today is vastly different from a decade ago when our first Smart Nation plan was launched," said PM Wong at the launch held in the Punggol Digital District, which has been earmarked as Singapore's first Smart Nation business district.

"Smartphones and social media have become the main ways we communicate with each other. Perhaps the biggest change is the recent breakthroughs in generative AI," he said.

But with these tech changes come new threats, as outlined in the newly launched Smart Nation 2.0: A Thriving Digital Future For All report by the Ministry of Digital Development and Information.

In particular, digital developments have given rise to scams, cyber bullying, misinformation, online polarization, deepfakes and technology-induced isolation that deepen social divides.

Workers also worry about job disruptions if they cannot cope with technological changes.