IBM's Think Singapore event: Using AI to solve productivity and skills challenges

In Singapore, firefighters are already using smart glasses, artificial intelligence (AI) and augmented reality (AR) technologies to automate the inspection process for firefighting equipment and facilitate remote assistance.

The collaboration announced last September between multiple public agencies, local telecom StarHub, IMDA, and IBM tapped on IBM’s AI-powered video and image analysis platform, Maximo Visual Inspection, to consolidate aggregated data into a real-time, single dashboard.

This equipped the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) firefighters with the tools needed to embark on data-driven decision-making, which is crucial for safe and successful operations, says IBM Singapore’s Head of Government & Regulatory Affairs, Sarah Mohd Ong.

Ahead of IBM’s upcoming Think Singapore event on August 15, Ong shares more about IBM’s approach to working with the Singapore public sector on adopting AI and generative AI (GenAI) to streamline operations, and what attendees can expect during the event.

Supporting AI journeys for the public sector

Themed “Scale AI for business to accelerate innovation and productivity,” IBM is placing a strong emphasis on GenAI in the upcoming Think Singapore event, at the Sands Expo & Convention Centre.

Ong shares that the speakers’ line-up from the public sector include the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS), IMDA, as well as private organisations such as StarHub and Universal Group. 

“This is a great opportunity for those who are keen on AI and looking for a starting point for their journey.

“The event is focused on the possibilities of AI, and we will also go deeper into the hard questions that companies and public agencies must answer today and tomorrow when adopting this technology,” says Ong.

Skills to accelerate AI in Singapore’s public sector

IBM Singapore’s work around AI adoption in Singapore is centered around preparing workers for the AI transition.

A study commissioned by IBM found that while AI-related skills are more prevalent these days, about a third (37 per cent) of the IT professionals in Singapore are still most likely to say that a lack of AI skills and expertise is hindering successful AI adoption.

Last September, the tech firm announced a commitment to train two million learners in AI by the end of 2026. With the IBM SkillsBuild learning platform, it is collaborating with global universities and partners to expand AI and GenAI education to include youth and adult learners.

In Singapore, IBM has ongoing collaborations with institutes of higher learning to help adult learners explore real-world applications of AI through hands-on experiences, such as through workshops creating virtual assistants, says Ong.

“We all know that it is the people that make the difference in digital transformation and overall business success. IBM will continue to invest in developing local tech talent with more partnerships to come by the end of the year,” Ong shares.

Current landscape of AI and GenAI use in governments

AI and GenAI is being applied by organisations and public agencies to drive productivity and efficiency, including digital labour, customer experience and even app development.

AI for digital labour refers to using AI to support a vast spectrum of activities carried out digitally, says Ong, from simple tasks like content creation and data entry to more complex responsibilities such as HR recruitment.

For example, IBM’s benefits virtual assistant, AskHR, allows employees to query the platform about vacation policies and cut through a maze of portals to find information about their tenure, location, and remaining leave days.

“There are massive benefits that we see: the integration of generative AI and automation have led to a 40 per cent reduction in HR operating costs, with 94 per cent of company-wide requests handled by the digital assistant AskHR,” says Ong.

For customer service, GenAI can help create personalised services based on a citizen’s needs. For app development, AI can help to automate and streamline the app modernisation process.

Government AI efforts elsewhere

Outside Singapore, IBM has worked with other public sector clients to accelerate AI and GenAI use in their operations.

The US tax agency, Internal Revenue Services (IRS), tapped on IBM’s AI and analytics capabilities to support their legacy modernisation process, improve cybersecurity, expand advanced analytics capabilities, and overhaul the critical infrastructure needed to improve how the agency interacts with taxpayers and the tax community.

“At the backend, governments are regularly held back from true transformation by legacy systems with tightly coupled workflow rules that require substantial effort and significant cost to modernise.

“As governments face ever-evolving demands for improved services, they can use GenAI to speed up app modernisation,” Ong explains.

AI governance and ethics go hand in hand with AI deployment

IBM is also focusing on public-private partnerships around ethical AI usage at the upcoming event.

In Singapore, AI Singapore is collaborating with IBM to test ASEAN’s first large language model (LLM) using IBM’s data and AI platform, watsonx, to enhance the model.

MAS is also collaborating with IBM on a complete AI lifecycle governance tool for continuous monitoring in MAS’ operations.

“The call for responsible AI usage is loud and clear. We take this very seriously and have integrated these considerations into our own processes, as well as AI products and services.

“IBM has also been a longstanding partner with government agencies to build a culture of responsible AI. We look forward to working alongside the public sector to develop best practices for ethical AI usage,” Ong commented.