Reskilling and upskilling workers amid AI adoption the harder but more sustainable path: PM Wong

Technology, enabled by artificial intelligence (AI), must translate into better lives for Singaporeans, with AI serving as an enabler rather than the driving force, said Prime Minister Lawrence Wong on Monday (Oct 12). He was speaking at the DBS Asia Future Forward Conference with DBS chief executive officer Tan Su Shan, where he reiterated the Government's approach in navigating technological disruption, including risks associated with the technology; worker protection and global economic shifts. Safety and security Addressing concerns that rapid development of frontier AI models poses serious risks to safety and security if they are not appropriately managed and go "rogue", the prime minister said that Singapore's foremost priority in technology adoption is safety and security, calling it "non-negotiable". When an AI agent "goes rogue", it means the AI has taken action beyond the task it was asked to perform. Both Anthropic and OpenAI , the maker of ChatGPT, said in July that their AI models had succeeded in acting on their own. "We will never compromise safety. We will never compromise critical systems and sensitive information," he said. A second area PM Wong highlighted was human responsibility, where accountability and critical decisions must remain in human hands. Finally, technology cannot be pursued "at all costs" because it must have broad-based benefits, he said. "We want AI and technology to benefit all businesses, to benefit our workers, and to uplift the lives of all Singaporeans...We are not doing technology at all costs." On workers and human value Turning to potential job displacement driven by automated tools and enterprise AI adoption, PM Wong stressed that cognitive offloading must not be allowed to set in. This, he said, happens when routine and sometimes mundane work are replaced by AI agents, even though such work carries with them tacit learning opportunities. "We are concerned that there may be that bottom rung of the career ladder that is broken, and young people may not get sufficient training, and we want companies to pay attention to this," PM Wong added. He referred to Singapore's approach of taking "harder road" — reskilling and upskilling every worker, saying it may be harder, but also more sustainable. The easier route — of replacing workers with AI — may bring short-term gains, but it is not sustainable in the long run. "Because (otherwise) people will get disenfranchised, there will be more dislocations, and at some point, there will be an even stronger backlash to AI and technology, as we are seeing in some parts of the world, even right now, added PM Wong. Taking the "harder road", he pointed out, will help Singapore maintain the strong compact between companies, unions, workers and the Government. "And we are not saying zero retrenchments," the prime minister stated. "We are recognising that from time to time, if a company has to automate and embrace technology, some retrenchments may happen. But do it properly. Be fair to the workers, give the workers advance notification, so that then the unions can come in and they can help the workers retrain and get new jobs." Global Guardrails and AI Safety On global governance, PM Wong highlighted Singapore's support for international oversight of frontier AI models to mitigate risks ranging from cyber threats to a loss of control over advanced systems. While acknowledging that a binding global framework may be realistic only over time, he advocated for immediate, practical steps such as independent governing boards and mandatory audit processes for frontier AI developers. "There is no easy answer, but I think we should just keep taking practical steps forward to ensure that AI frontier development is safe, without stifling innovation," he said. Facilitating businesses Turning to the impact on businesses, PM Wong noted that businesses operating in the Asean region may find it frustrating to navigate the different rules, systems and requirements across the different countries. But, this could change when the Asean Digital Economy Framework Agreement (DEFA) is signed — reducing barriers, facilitating data flows, and allowing more cross-border digital trends. He pointed out that while it is not a "magic switch" that will resolve present day challenges overnight, it remains an important first step. "(This) means enabling companies to be able to engage your customers across the region more seamlessly, to have cross-border payments with less friction, hopefully at lower cost, and to be able to scale your business more seamlessly across Asean. That is our ultimate goal," he said. [[nid:745818]] editor@asiaone.com