Public service leaders must set tone by using Al in own work: DPM Gan

They should encourage their teams to do so too; all officers have to take Al literacy course

- Chin Soo Fang Senior Correspondent

All public service officers will have to go through an artificial intelligence (Al) literacy course to learn how to use it responsibly as the public service enters an Al-driven era.

At the same time, public service leaders must set the tone by being open to using AI in their own work, said Deputy Prime Minister Gan Kim Yong on Sept 19, addressing an audience of more than 850 public service leaders and officers.

They should encourage their teams to do the same, and guide their people to use these tools effectively and thoughtfully, he added.

The push to keep up with Al and use it to govern better was among the three key areas public service leaders must act on that DPM Gan set out in a speech at the Annual Public Service Leadership Ceremony at the Sands Expo and Convention Centre.

The public service must recognise the impact of AI and refresh its approaches for an Al-driven era, said DPM Gan, who is also Minister for Trade and Industry.

Noting how AI is transforming the way economies and societies function, he said: “The public service must not only keep up with these changes, but also lead in applying Al-driven tools to govern better and serve better.”

This would begin with adoption at scale, he said. About one-third of 150,000 public service officers today regularly use Pair, an in-house Al assistant, to support their work in research and writing. More than 16,000 custom AI bots have been created to automate tasks and improve responsiveness.

But AI must be applied meaningfully, said DPM Gan, calling on leaders to challenge their teams to find worthwhile opportunities to use Al-driven solutions to improve services and outcomes.