Singapore PM: AI can boost productivity as labor gets harder

JAKARTA - Singapore Prime Minister Lawrence Wong considers artificial intelligence or AI to be an important tool to increase productivity, especially for city-states that continue to lack labor. As reported by The Straits Times, quoted Tuesday, June 9, the statement was delivered by Wong in a Singapore Press Club dialogue.

In a dialogue at the SPH Media auditorium, Toa Payoh, on June 8, Wong said Singapore could not continue to rely on additional workers from outside.

"We can make good use of AI to transform processes and operations to be much more productive. In a city like Singapore, we are always short of manpower. Companies and employers are always looking for people, and we cannot keep importing manpower," Wong said, as quoted by The Straits Times.

"We need to be more productive. I think AI can be a game changer," he said.

AI is a technology that allows machines or programs to help human work, such as searching for information, analyzing data, serving customers, to organizing work processes.

However, Wong reminded that AI is not enough to be used superficially, for example by simply installing a chatbot. According to him, AI must enter the work process of organizations in order to truly change the way companies and public institutions work.

"The key is to embed AI and start thinking about how that technology is changing processes across the organization. That will take time," he said.

Wong admitted that the impact of AI on the labor market is uncertain. In the long term, it is not clear whether AI will create more jobs or reduce the number of them.

"We need to be humble to say that we don't know the answer. No one can predict the future," he said.

"What is almost certain," said Wong, "is that a number of jobs will be disrupted. Some tasks can be automated, while the pace of change is getting faster.

Therefore, the focus of the Singapore government is to help companies use AI to increase productivity, while helping workers adapt. Workers are encouraged to undergo retraining and skill improvement to be able to enter better jobs when companies change.

Wong said Singapore had the capital to manage the change because it was small and had a strong tripartite partnership between the government, employers, and workers.

"We can direct the way AI is applied in our country, ensuring that AI complements workers, benefits workers, and serves humanity, not the other way around," said Wong.

According to Wong, Singapore does not want to be a passive spectator in the development of AI.

At the global level, Wong assessed that the world actually needs a common framework to regulate the development of AI. However, he admitted that it was difficult to materialize in the near future because the United States, China, and other major powers have not easily agreed on common rules.

Wong also said the AI revolution is still in its early stages. Like other waves of technology, there will be euphoria, failed companies, and successful companies. Major changes to organizations and business models still take time.

In the public sector, the Singapore government has begun reviewing internal processes to see which services can be improved with AI.

Wong also conveyed the progress of the National AI Council which was formed in February and was headed by him. The Council has begun to hold meetings and discuss the application of AI in the advanced manufacturing, health services, and finance sectors.

"In each of these areas, there are many potential applications that can improve lives, increase productivity, and ultimately put Singapore in a stronger position," said Wong.