Goh Hanyan, Director, Smart Nation Strategy Office and Director, Policy & Strategy, National AI Group, Ministry of Digital Development and Information (MDDI)

1. How do you use technology/policy to improve citizens’ lives? Tell us about your role or organisation. 

As the Director of the Smart Nation Strategy Office (SNSO) at the Ministry of Digital Development and Information (MDDI), I am responsible for shaping and steering Singapore’s refreshed Smart Nation vision (SN 2.0).  

SNSO helps to shepherd SN 2.0 by sensing emerging opportunities and threats, providing direction on issues that MDDI might need to address, and incubating new policy thinking and ideas.  

I hold a concurrent appointment as the Director of Policy and Strategy at the National Artificial Intelligence Group (NAIG). NAIG was formed this year to drive and coordinate the implementation of our refreshed National AI Strategy (NAIS 2.0).

The policy and strategy unit is responsible for keeping NAIS 2.0 relevant and up-to-date, ensuring there is alignment across the various NAIS 2.0 initiatives, and experimenting with policy approaches to tackle emerging, cross-cutting topics such as talent attraction. 

2. What was the most impactful project you have worked on in 2024?  

One of the most impactful projects that I worked on this year is SN 2.0, which was launched by Prime Minister Lawrence Wong on October 1, 2024. It has been a decade since we rolled out our first Smart Nation initiative. Much has changed since then, with digital technologies becoming an integral part of our lives, society, and economy.

To subscribe to the GovInsider bulletin click here.

SN 2.0, therefore, proposed a shift from encouraging the use of technology under SN 1.0 to helping people thrive through technology, guided by the goals of Trust, Growth, and Community.

The impact of this work hit home for me personally when we met with citizens whom we featured in the SN 2.0 report. We met with a senior who uses digital apps to keep healthy, a nurse who developed an online platform to redistribute unused medication to needy recipients, and many others with similar stories of how technology is changing their lives. They are a reminder of what being a Smart Nation is all about – improving citizens’ lives.  

Another impactful project was the RAISE.SG event that NAIG organised in September. RAISE.SG is a tight-knit, curated community of Singapore-linked AI creators and practitioners. In July 2023, we convened the first RAISE.SG event in Singapore to co-develop NAIS 2.0, which was subsequently launched in December 2023.

This year, we decided to organise the second RAISE.SG event in the Bay Area to engage over 40 US-based participants. It was heartening to see the enthusiasm, ideas, and expertise that the participants brought to the discussions. Many were passionate about contributing towards Singapore’s AI journey and some had plans to return home someday. I believe everyone – participants and our organising team – left the event feeling energised and optimistic. 

3. What was one unexpected learning from 2024? 

MDDI is my first “tech” stint in the government. Going into this role last December, I assumed this would involve getting up to speed on technological concepts and trends. While this is of course part of the work I do, I spend as much time, if not more, focused on understanding what problems technology can solve.

In the sector, it is easy to be taken by the newest, shiniest discoveries and applications. As such, we need to be clear-eyed about how technology can ultimately benefit our citizens and businesses. This requires us to have a keen understanding of their needs and concerns and think as much about the use case as the underlying technologies. 

4. What are your priorities for 2025? 

The work has just begun for SN 2.0. Following the public release of the SN 2.0 report, we now need to organise ourselves to implement our policies and plans. I am particularly excited about the Smart Nation Educator Fellowship that MDDI and the Ministry of Education (MOE) jointly developed. Through the Fellowship, we hope participants will gain insights on emerging technological trends through practical, real-world experiences, thereby equipping them with the knowledge to effectively develop students’ digital skills. The inaugural run is slated for 2025 and our teams at MDDI and MOE are working hard to make this happen! 

To subscribe to the GovInsider bulletin click here.

On the AI front, the ecosystem in Singapore is starting to come together and we are observing an increasing density of activity and collaboration. To drive greater impact, I will continue exploring how NAIG can more effectively orchestrate resources and efforts across the government, industry, and research domains to harness what AI can do to improve the lives of citizens in Singapore and contribute towards the public good. 

5. Who inspires you today? 

Building a better world for my family, my children, and my fellow Singaporeans is what gets me up in the morning. Being in MDDI has made me keenly aware of how my children and all Singaporean children, will grow up in a world that is markedly different from the one I grew up in.

Technology has the potential to uplift and improve lives, but left unchecked, can lead to a future that is uncertain, and sometimes intimidating to think about. I am invested in doing my part to shape a digital future for them that enables them and all Singaporeans to have a better life than the generations that came before.