AS THE race for artificial intelligence (AI) dominance intensifies, Singapore is charting a unique course – one that balances cutting-edge technology with the human elements of trust and personal relationships.

Speaking at The Business Times Asia Future Summit on Monday (Oct 7), Education Minister Chan Chun Sing outlined the nation’s approach to AI development, emphasising the importance of maintaining “high touch” and “high trust” in an increasingly high-tech world.

Singapore’s AI strategy extends beyond simply adopting technology for efficiency gains, Chan explained.

“AI is a lot of ‘high-tech’ – it can help us in a lot of things. But the more high-tech it is, I think there’s also a need for the ‘high touch’ and ‘high trust’,” he said, referring to human connections and ethical standards.

The minister made these remarks during an AI-focused conference at Shangri-La Singapore, where he was the guest of honour and participated in a panel discussion.

OCBC was the presenting sponsor of the event, with Huawei as the event partner.

Other panellists included Lim Khiang Tong, group chief operating officer at OCBC, and Leslie Teo, senior director of AI products at AI Singapore.

The panel discussion was moderated by Claressa Monteiro, head of audio at BT.

During the panel exchange, Chan highlighted the example of investment banking, where data-driven insights play an increasingly important role in decision-making.