Jacqueline Poh, Deputy Secretary, Prime Minister's Office, Singapore
By Medha Basu
Women in GovTech 2018 Special Report.
Rolling out various aspects of the Digital Government Blueprint and getting agencies to work on digital plans was a worthwhile experience as part of the Government Technology Agency (GovTech).
What has been the most exciting thing that you worked on in 2018?
National digital identity, including Singpass Mobile and MyInfo, was very exciting to get going. Introducing more AI functionality into government services was also a new aspect of work that opened new frontiers.
If you were to share one piece of advice that you learned in 2018, what would it be?
Be very circumspect about the promise and actual use cases of blockchain. It will often prove to be more useful than expected, but less than what it was hyped to be. Be clear about the value that a tech-enabled distributed ledger could bring to government services, which are naturally better suited to high-trust unified ledgers.
What tool or technique particularly interests you for 2019?
AI will continue to be prominent in the development of services but we have to double down on how to make it trusted and well-governed in terms of ethics and explicability.
What are your priorities for 2019?
Having left the direct field of GovTech, I am now focused on wider national strategic development, but tech remains a key driver for our opportunities and risks. I would be keen to spend more time on tech related to food, energy, and climate resilience.
What advancements do you predict will happen in your field in the next ten years?
AI and biology, human augmentation, and new advancements in agriculture and food.
Coffee, yoga, music... what powers you through your day?
Curiosity.