I went to Sweden and caught a glimpse of Singapore's future

Sweden's innovative culture and Singapore's efficient governance make a formidable combination.

- Terence Ho

Two weeks ago, I attended a symposium in Stockholm organised by a consortium of Singaporean and Swedish universities on the theme of artificial intelligence (AI) and its impact on lifelong learning.

The symposium was motivated by the idea that Singapore and Sweden have much to learn from each other, and indeed, conversations with Swedish researchers and friends provided grist for reflection.

There is much to admire about Sweden. A country of a mere 10.6 million people - not even twice Singapore's population - Sweden has produced an impressive array of global brand names, with H&M, Ikea, Volvo, Ericsson, Tetra Pak and Spotify, to name just a few. Thirty-nine Swedes have won the Nobel Prize, named after the Swedish inventor of dynamite. Notable Swedish innovations include safety matches, the gamma knife and Bluetooth. The popular games Candy Crush and Minecraft are also Swedish, as are global chart-topping bands Abba, Roxette and Ace of Base.

Singapore may have had a shorter runway since gaining independence, but we clearly have a long way to catch up with Sweden in terms of world-leading brands, breakthrough innovations and cultural exports.

Where Singapore excels is in governance and efficiency, which have seen our country achieve median worker incomes comparable to Sweden's. But to keep progressing in the next phase of development, particularly in the age of AI, Singapore will require something different - the kind of innovation and creativity that Sweden is known for.

ACCOUNTING FOR THE INNOVATION GAP

Sweden's prodigious innovation output has been linked with the country's strong investment in R&D, close ties among academia, government and industry, strong digital infrastructure and global orientation. These are factors that Singapore too does fairly well in.