Is Singapore prepared for a 'rent-a-human' world?

As developments in Al pick up pace, we must master the wider implications.

- Ravi Velloor

A more fragmented digital order is emerging. Choices around infrastructure, data governance, security and cross-border interoperability will require attention from Singapore's AI Council led by Prime Minister Lawrence Wong. ST PHOTO: LIM YAOHUI

(LIM YAOHUI)

Watching Prime Minister Lawence Wong deliver his Budget speech, with its major emphasis on Singapore embracing artificial intelligence, my mind returned to the Cisco AI Summit in San Francisco on Feb 3, where I caught a glimpse of what an Al future could look like one in which the human role will be fundamentally redefined.

With concepts such as “rent-a-human” floated the idea that machines will handle the bulk of cognitive labour, leaving humans to be “rented” only for niche tasks requiring soul or physical touch - Singapore’s AI Council, to be led by Mr Wong, has not a moment to lose.

We are entering a world limited only by our imagination. The most valuable intellectual property could well be the original questions you are capable of framing in your mind - since many of the answers to existing questions have already been commoditised.

The market is already picking winners and losers in this race. While Cisco’s pivot to AI infrastructure has seen its shares rise by about 20 per cent in the last year, Accenture, viewed by some investors as ripe for disruption, has shed more than 40 per cent of its value.

Mr Wong sketched out an AI adoption road map, prioritising sectors such as advanced manufacturing and logistics, and professions such as accountancy and law.

WE MUST MOVE FASTER

While measured steps are prudent, there are some reasons why we may need to move even faster.