<figure id="attachment_3281461" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-3281461" style="width: 1600px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-3281461" src="https://media.freemalaysiatoday.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/c6ebea7e-lawrence-wong-12022026.webp" alt="" width="1600" height="1000" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-3281461" class="wp-caption-text">Lawrence Wong said AI is progressing rapidly and could boost productivity, drive discoveries, and significantly transform people’s lives. (EPA Images pic)</figcaption></figure>
SINGAPORE: Singapore will establish a national council on artificial intelligence to provide &#8220;strategic direction&#8221; on the use of the new technology, prime minister Lawrence Wong announced Thursday.
Speaking in parliament to unveil this year&#8217;s national budget, Wong said AI is &#8220;advancing at a remarkable speed&#8221;, with immense potential to raise productivity, unlock new discoveries and transform lives.
While AI has caused concerns about misinformation and jobs being displaced, Wong said the city-state must confront the technology and make it serve the country&#8217;s needs.
He urged Singapore to move beyond &#8220;individual pilots and isolated experiments&#8221; and scale up the use of AI at the national level and across industries.
&#8220;Fear cannot be Singapore&#8217;s response. If we allow uncertainty to paralyse us, we will fall behind in a world that is moving rapidly ahead,&#8221; he said.
&#8220;We must act with clarity and resolve. AI is a powerful tool, but it is still a tool. It must serve our national interest and our people,&#8221; said Wong, who is also the finance minister.
Wong said he will chair the AI council, which will &#8220;provide strategic direction and drive Singapore&#8217;s AI agenda&#8221;.
Tiny Singapore has been increasingly using technology to overcome structural constraints such as its limited natural resources, a rapidly ageing population and a tight labour market.
The government said last month it will invest more than S$1 billion (US$793 million) in public research on artificial intelligence through 2030 to bolster its capabilities and enhance global competitiveness.
&#8220;We define how AI is developed and used in Singapore. We will set clear rules to ensure it is applied responsibly and safely,&#8221; Wong said in his speech.

MatchPoint Times

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