Singapore Ranks First Among 109 Countries in AI Readiness: Report

Rise in number of Singaporeans who have used SkillsFuture credits to learn online

- Elisha Tushara

Interest in generative artificial intelligence (Gen AI) is on the rise in Singapore.

A new report measuring global skill levels in business, tech and data science based on online learning trends by online course provider Coursera has ranked Singapore first among 109 countries in terms of AI maturity.

The index, released in July, defined AI maturity as a country's readiness for AI innovation. Denmark came in second and Switzerland placed third.

Apart from its own enrollment numbers for AI-related courses, Coursera also analyzed countries' research output from local institutes of higher learning and data from the International Monetary Fund's AI Preparedness Index, which assesses how well countries are prepared to adopt and integrate AI technologies.

Professor Simon Chesterman, senior director of AI governance at AI Singapore, a national programme aimed at boosting AI capabilities here, said the Coursera report indicates a healthy appetite for learning about Gen AI among Singaporeans.

Singapore has done well in the AI space partly due to government strategies such as SkillsFuture Singapore (SSG) and a reasonably educated, well-connected population without any rural communities, he added.

There have been 107,000 Gen AI course enrollments on Coursera in Singapore to date, with 44,000 new enrollments in 2024.

Millennials (those born from 1981 to 2000) make up 62 per cent of Gen AI enrollments, followed by Gen X (those born from 1965 to 1980) at 28 per cent, while learners under 25 account for 6 per cent.

An uptick in enrollment in AI courses probably stems from curiosity and worry among adult learners in Singapore, Prof Chesterman said.

"They want to learn more or they want to preserve their relevance in the workforce," he said. "Certainly there are reasons to be optimistic about what's going on in Singapore, but no reason to rest on our laurels."