PM Lawrence Wong at the Launch of Smart Nation 2.0

Smart Nation 1.0: A Decade-Long Journey

In 2014, we set an ambition to become a Smart Nation – a nation where technology is used to improve our citizens’ lives. We aimed to make Singapore one of the leading cities in the world – an outstanding place where our people can live meaningful and fulfilling lives, and where the human spirit flourishes.

To achieve this vision, we had to harness technology systematically – not in a piecemeal fashion, but in a coherent and comprehensive way. So we launched our first Smart Nation plan to take full advantage of technology across the government, economy and our society.

Ten years on, we have made significant progress. We can all feel and experience the changes in our daily lives. So many activities have become more convenient.

In 2014, cashless payment was an aspiration. Today, it is a reality. Fewer people queue up to withdraw cash from ATM machines. Fewer still write cheques because you can use your phone to pay for all sorts of transactions. Beyond payments, you can open a bank account in minutes online, and engage in a whole range of banking services – all from the comfort of your home.

Government services have also become far more convenient too. Nearly all government services are digital. Some have been with us for some time. We are all familiar with IRA’s e-filing, ICA’s passport services, NLB’s book borrowing amongst others. Over the last few years, we have rolled out even more applications, including for parking, HDB flat bookings and purchases, health services and of course the ever-popular CDC vouchers.

These are the more visible changes. But we have also used technology behind the scenes, in ways that are not so visible to the public. For example, in our housing estates, we have sensors in lifts and waters pumps, so that Town Councils are alerted immediately when a fault arises.

Technology also helped to get us through difficult times, most recently during Covid. Our digital infrastructure enabled businesses to keep on operating, and students to keep on learning. Trace Together helped us to do effective contact tracing. We achieved high vaccination rates, and the entire operation was enabled by an online appointment system that we built under a month.

We have made great strides as a Smart Nation because it has been a collective nationwide effort.

Then-PM Lee took a personal interest and helped to get the Smart Nation initiative off to a very good start. We are delighted that he is here this evening, and we thank him for laying the solid foundations that continue to guide our progress today.

Our businesses, working closely with government agencies, embraced technology, and built the infrastructure that enabled our Smart Nation plans.

Where we are today – the Punggol Digital District – is a physical manifestation of this partnership. A decade ago, this was an empty field. Today, we see Singapore’s first-ever smart district emerging, with companies, research institutes and government agencies working together in areas like cybersecurity, AI, and robotics.

Singaporeans from all walks of life did their part. They committed their time and effort to learn new digital skills. Some picked up courage to try a new digital service. Like many of our seniors, who despite initial hesitation, have become increasingly proficient with using e-payments.

There are those that went further. Like Justin Hor, whom I met earlier. Justin is a final year student studying computer engineering in Singapore Polytechnic. He worked on a school project to help people with mobility constraints find accessible facilities through an app. He continues to volunteer as a Smart Nation Ambassador, helping others learn digital skills.

All of you are our pioneers for our Smart Nation. We could not have achieved what we have today without your efforts. Thank you for your many contributions!

Why Smart Nation 2.0

We have done well as a Smart Nation. But we must never think that we have arrived. Technology is advancing rapidly, and our operating environment is ever changing. So we have to keep pace, stay abreast of the latest developments, and continually strive to do better.

The digital landscape today is vastly different from a decade ago when our first Smart Nation plan was launched.

Smartphones and social media have become the main ways we communicate with each other.

Perhaps the biggest change is the recent breakthroughs in generative AI. AI, as all of you know, is a general-purpose technology – these are once-in-a-generation technologies, like steam power or the internet, that touch every industry and every aspect of life.

AI is already advancing at an astonishing pace. Two years ago, we saw the release of the first version of ChatGPT which was impressive but still in its early stages. Now GPT4 is significantly more powerful. And it will only get better over time. Whatever AI we have today, it is the worst we will ever experience in our lifetime because it will just get better. In the years ahead, new AI systems will revolutionise and transform industries in ways we have yet to comprehend.

All these mean that technology will have an even bigger impact on our lives. There will be tremendous opportunities ahead. But also new uncertainties and challenges to overcome.

So we must refresh our strategies for Smart Nation.

In Smart Nation 1.0, we focussed on building up capabilities and encouraging the use of technology.

For our next phase, or Smart Nation 2.0, we aim to sharpen our focus and use technology more effectively to transform our future and shape our nation together.

Smart Nation 2.0

We have three key goals in Smart Nation 2.0: Growth, Community, and Trust. Let me share more about each of these thrusts.

First, Growth is about empowering our people and businesses to use technology to push our own limits and realise our full potential.

We do so by exploiting R&D and knowledge, so as to take our economy to the next level, and to create many more opportunities for Singaporeans.

That is why we are investing significantly in new AI capabilities. Today, Singapore is home to over 150 AI R&D and product teams. They come from a wide range of leading global companies as well as research institutions, including our own universities. We want to grow this AI eco-system, and foster more collaborations between AI researchers and scientists in other domain areas like biomedical science and materials science.

We will launch a new “AI for Science” programme to encourage such interdisciplinary collaborations and research. If you are a researcher in AI or other scientific domains, and you are looking to discover the next breakthrough, we want you to do it here in Singapore, join our research community and help us push the frontiers of innovation.

But we cannot focus solely on new breakthroughs. Equally, if not more, important, is how technology is harnessed across the entire economy. Consider the big technology waves across human history. The countries that gained the most from these technology waves were not always the ones that pioneered the latest invention, but those that successfully deployed these technologies across different industries. By doing so, they achieved sustained productivity improvements and long-term competitive advantages.

So we must make a bigger effort to get our enterprises and people to take full advantage of new technologies like AI. We are engaging our SMEs and helping them to use AI tools to streamline their administrative and financial processes. Over time we hope more will be able to develop capabilities to harness the full potential of AI, and to develop innovative solutions.

We will also start early and do even more to prepare our children. Our students already excel in creative thinking skills, math, and science. In fact, we are proud to have two students, Jia Yu and Ze Rui with us today. They both were part of the team that won Gold at the first-ever international Olympiad for AI this year. Congratulations!

We want to support these bright sparks to reach their fullest potential. At the same time, we need to raise the overall technical literacy of all our students. We must give our students more opportunities for hands-on exploration with AI and emerging technologies. We have done this before, I remember what it was like as a student in the 80s when Singapore started our computerisation journey. Back then, very few people had personal computers, certainly my classmates and I did not have computers at home. But we all had the chance to learn about computers in school, or even by attending classes at the nearby community centre. That exposure gave all of us, regardless of our home or social backgrounds, very good foundations at an early age.

So, we must do the same today. Today, our children are born digital natives. But we must still give them more deliberate exposure to AI. This will help them better understand the nuances, limitations and abilities of AI tools. Not everyone may have the inclination to go far in this field. But everyone should have the opportunity to develop a basic understanding and proficiency. With this foundation, they will be able to better harness AI’s innovative potential, and make it a valuable tool in whatever field they choose to pursue later in life.

We also need to train our educators so that they can better guide our students. I am glad to share that MOE and MDDI will launch a new Smart Nation Educator Fellowship. This fellowship will be available to educators who play a role in shaping our national curriculum and professional development for teachers. Through this fellowship, educators will learn about the latest trends and issues in the digital space and use them to design materials to guide other educators in their lessons.

The second goal is Community.

Technology, when used responsibly, can connect people, foster collaboration, and strengthen community. But if misused, it can divide and erode trust.

There are already cautionary signs about the risks that technology poses to our community. For example, excessive use of social media can contribute to isolation, mental health issues, and the spread of misinformation.

We are paying more attention to these risks and developing ways to reduce their impact. We are emphasising cyber wellness in schools. We are increasing awareness of healthy screen habits among families, and encouraging more screen-free activities for children.

We are also creating more healthy online environments for our young people. We already have a Code of Practice for Online Safety in place. This requires designated social media service providers to put certain processes in place to protect young users, like including more restrictive account settings for children. We are now developing a new Code of Practice for app stores. It will require app distribution services to have age assurance measures, so we can protect children from downloading inappropriate apps.

In the end, it is up to us to ensure that technology is used in ways that strengthen our community. There are many ways we can do so in our daily lives. For example, whenever we have a new BTO project, home-owners will already initiate contact with one another on social media platforms – they share updates on the estates, about the building plans, about renovation and moving in tips or even organise bulk buys. Such online interactions help foster a sense of belonging even before they meet in person.

When used thoughtfully, technology can bring us closer together, and enable us to better look out for one another. The “Build for Good” programme, organised by Open Government Products, is an example of this. Under the programme, citizens are supported with skills and resources to design digital solutions to problems. Audrey Kon, who is a nurse by profession and here with us today, participated in the recent run of the programme. She realised that healthcare providers may have excess medication that ends up being wasted. So she and her team built RemediSG, a platform to redistribute medication to those in need. It has now gone “live” and is serving three clinics.

I have shared a few examples. But I believe there are still many possibilities to explore. We aim to do more and we will invite more Singaporeans to work with us to use technology to build stronger communities.

This leads me to the third goal, which is Trust.

To achieve Growth and Community, Singaporeans must be able to go online with confidence – confident that digital systems and services are secure and reliable; that their safety and well-being will not be compromised; and that there is effective help and recourse if they encounter harms.

Recent incidents around the world have shown us that digital disruptions can severely affect lives, leaving hospitals, airports, and businesses unable to function. We must ensure that the digital systems we rely on, like our data centres, are resilient and able to withstand cyberattacks and disruption. Over the years, we have introduced measures to shore up our cybersecurity.

We updated the Cybersecurity Act earlier this year, to regulate a wider set of systems, because we increasingly rely on a broader range of digital infrastructure, like cloud services and data centres. Disruptions are not always caused by cyberattacks. There might be physical hazards like fires, or cooling system failures. We will introduce a new Digital Infrastructure Act next year to mitigate some of these risks, and improve our security and resilience.

We are also tackling the risks of online harms. New digital tools and platforms have made it easier for criminals to scam victims out of their hard-earned savings. We have introduced measures to block scam calls, and to filter and report suspicious messages. We have worked with industry partners like banks and telcos to implement countermeasures to protect Singaporeans from scams. We are continuing to further improve and strengthen our measures.

In addition to scams, there are also other online harms like sexual harassment and cyberbullying. We have enhanced our laws over the years to punish perpetrators, and protect vulnerable victims. But there is more we can and will do.

All victims of online harms would want the damaging content to be removed quickly and permanently. Currently, victims can apply to court for a protection order, or make a police report. But legal and criminal proceedings can take time. Another way is to turn to online service providers for help. But not many would know how to do so. We have also heard feedback that even if they do, the companies may take some time to respond, and sometimes do not even act on the reports.

We will support victims of online harm with more timely, and effective relief. They must be able to turn to a trusted source of support who can act on their behalf to direct perpetrators and service providers to put a stop to the harms. We have been studying how other countries deal with this problem. Australia, for example, has an eSafety Commissioner that has legal powers to order the removal of certain types of online harms.

After looking into the matter, we have decided to introduce new legislation and measures to provide stronger assurance to victims. This will include the setting up of a dedicated agency to support victims of online harms. We are still working out the details and will share more in due course when we are ready.

Conclusion

Growth, Community and Trust – these are three key building blocks in the next phase of our Smart Nation journey. I have shared some of our plans. But the work will have to continually evolve as digital developments unfold, and as we develop new and better solutions.

Take the example of emergency response. When someone has a cardiac arrest, the chances of survival drop as every minute goes by without medical intervention. Paramedics do their best to rush to the scene. But this still takes time. Similarly, minor emergencies, like small fires, can spread and become a bigger problem if it is not stopped early.

That is why MHA built the myResponder app. It alerts members of the public who have signed up as Community First Responders, to people nearby in need of help. Anyone can help. You do not need to have specialised skills. Simple acts by members of the public can make a difference.

When MHA introduced the app, it was not sure if the app would work but we took a leap of faith and we went ahead. Through the app, many emergencies have been averted and many lives saved.

This is an example that illustrates the ethos we must embrace in government and also in Singapore – to experiment with new approaches and be prepared to disrupt existing ways of doing things. Not everything we try will succeed. Some efforts may fall short of the desired results. When that happens, we must have the courage and integrity to acknowledge the failure, learn from it, and quickly pivot to a new approach. It is this spirit of rapid iteration and bold innovation that will propel us forward in our Smart Nation journey.

Ultimately, Smart Nation is a call to all Singaporeans. To join our hands and hearts to take our nation forward. Over the last decade, we have made great strides. In the next 10 years, we can reach even greater heights. Let us work together to build a better home for all – a Singapore brimming with exciting opportunities, where we can support one another in realising our dreams, and where each of us can become the best version of ourselves. Together, let us bring this vision to life and turn our collective hopes into reality.

Thank you very much.