SINGAPORE – The number of public officers who actively use Pair, a chatbot which assists with research and writing, has doubled from 2024.

About 50,000 people – making up a third of all public officers here – now regularly use the artificial intelligence tool to enhance their productivity, said Minister for Digital Development and Information Josephine Teo.

Mrs Teo was speaking at the Singapore Computer Society’s Tech Leaders Awards ceremony, held at the Shangri-La Singapore on May 9.

First launched in 2023, Pair is a secure version of ChatGPT developed by Open Government Products – an independent division of Government Technology Agency (GovTech).

GovTech chief technology officer Chang Sau Sheong said in October 2024 that about 55,000 public officers used Pair, of whom half were active users.

About 100,000 public officers now use the AI tool, the Ministry of Digital Development and Information said.

“Now, public officers have created thousands of experimental chatbots using our AIBots platform, and have innovated solutions ranging from answering HR queries to guiding colleagues through budget and procurement processes,” she said.

AIBots, also created by GovTech, lets public officers quickly create custom chatbots.

The breadth and depth of AI activities here is growing, Mrs Teo said, adding that the international community is becoming increasingly aware of the possibilities for the technology here.

She noted that when Singapore refreshed its National AI Strategy in 2023, it was to establish the Republic as “a vibrant hub for AI innovations that could have broader impact beyond our shores”.

There are signs of a dynamic AI ecosystem taking shape here, said Mrs Teo, who is also Minister-in-charge of Smart Nation and Cybersecurity.

She pointed to Lorong AI, established in January as a co-working space for the AI community here.

Lorong AI regularly brings together more than 200 AI practitioners from across industry and Government to learn together and exchange new ideas, Mrs Teo said.

She noted the space in Cross Street has hosted more than 40 events in the four months since its launch, and continues to host multiple events on a weekly basis.

“These range from hands-on product workshops to technical deep-dives that are conducted by our home-grown AI experts, leading global researchers, and industry pioneers such as OpenAI and AWS,” she said.

Mrs Teo said promising public-private partnerships are a...