KC Yeoh
Chief Executive Officer,
Temus

KEEPING SINGAPORE’S FIRMS AND WORKERS AT THE FOREFRONT OF AI ADVANCEMENTS

Mr Lew Chuen Hong, Chief Executive, IMDA Professor Mohan Kankanhalli, Deputy Executive Chairman, AI Singapore Friends, partners, members of the media, Distinguished Guests, Ladies and Gentlemen,

Good morning. Thank you, Mr Lew for gracing today’s event. We will be signing a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between Temus and AI Singapore (AISG). Under the terms of this MOU, we will work to catalyse digital transformation, promote the adoption and development of new AI tech and solutions to keep enterprises and workers in Singapore at the forefront of change. This represents a mutual commitment to help build a vibrant and sustainable AI ecosystem.

Talents drive the AI Agenda Forward

We’ve long known AI to be a game-changer, making businesses more efficient and responsive, increasing productivity and innovation, and improving our overall quality of life. AI’s many uses continue to capture the public’s imagination with recent developments by companies like OpenAI. Harnessing AI to unlock new levels of automation and efficiencies opens up new frontiers and potential for human creativity and imagination to improve the way we work, live and play.

“In this future, some people fear that AI will replace human jobs, but we should see it as an opportunity to work alongside machines. By developing and refining our skills and knowledge to complement the abilities of AI, we can create new job opportunities and enhance our potential for success. In the Age of AI, we must learn to adapt, collaborate, and continuously improve our skills to stay ahead of the competition. Working with machines can also lead to further developments in technology and allow us to solve even more complex problems. Therefore, embracing and utilizing AI is key to thriving in today's technologically advanced world.”

This challenge, the opportunities, and the promise of AI that I just described, was in fact written with the help of Chat GPT. So we believe that we will not be competing against AI, but competing in the age of AI. To succeed, we must do so hand-in-glove with machines, to achieve meaningful digital transformation. This will continue to impact the way we regard talent development, effect change in business operations, and ultimately drive our economy forward in the digital age.

AI for Workers and Leaders

The key to any successful transformation begins and ends with people. This partnership will lead to more AISG’s 100 Experiments (100E) projects from Temus’ ecosystem of partners and customers, resulting in more opportunities for Singaporeans to deepen their AI skills in AISG’s AI Apprenticeship Programme (AIAP).

Temus is already reaping the benefits of this deep-skilling AI programme. John, our emcee today, was an Apprentice with AISG in 2020, and who is now a delivery manager in our Data & AI team, and will be working with both teams very closely in the 100E projects. Seng Wee, our Senior AI Engineer who is also here today, is a full stack engineer and graduated from AIAP in 2021.

At the same time, Temus and AISG will aim to raise the level of thinking and thought leadership among business leaders in Singapore through a monthly series of by-invitation only seminar titled “AI for Leaders”.

The inaugural seminar will commence right after today’s MOU ceremony. This series will help business leaders and decision makers gain industry insights on the latest developments and best practices in AI. This morning, participants will hear from Laurence, Matt and Alan about how the transformative characteristics of an AI-enabled enterprise can unlock speed, creativity and innovation across the enterprise.

Subsequent seminars will examine how the best AI-driven firms manage data, confront silos, mitigate risks that come with digital transformation, and ultimately realise the economic benefits of new value creation.

Creating new value in the Age of AI

Singapore's National AI strategy envisions that many businesses from a wide range of sectors – from finance and healthcare to transportation – will benefit from a significant uplift in efficiency, productivity and competitiveness through the adoption of AI.

This is why, Temus looks forward to deepening our collaboration with AISG and help to scale up its 100 Experiments, or 100E programme, to support more Singapore-based companies in deploying AI and deriving long-term value from these AI operating models.

Going beyond the enterprise, we see the adoption of AI as a key driver of growth and innovation for Singapore’s digital aspirations, as workers and organisations alike seek to compete globally in the age of AI.

In order to face the challenges of what an AI-driven future will bring, let us be on the front-foot in embracing the attributes of an AI factory and unlock powerful opportunities for learning and growth. This will take partnerships like the one we’re building today, among stakeholders in government, research institutions and industry.

Together, may we continue to strengthen our collective capabilities to unlock both economic and social impact in sustainable ways.

Thank you.