Tay PeiChin, Senior Policy Advisor (Government Innovation), Tony Blair Institute for Global Change (TBI), Singapore

1) How do you use your role to ensure that technology and policy are truly inclusive?

In my work at the Tony Blair Institute for Global Change, I help governments develop more people-centred digital policies — ensuring technology complements and augments human potential, rather than replaces it.

Inclusion begins at the policy design stage: involving representative users, asking who benefits and who’s excluded, and co-creating ways to close those gaps.

Whether advising on national AI frameworks or digital upskilling, I advocate for systems that empower workers, women, and under-represented youth to participate meaningfully in the digital economy. 
 

Beyond my work at TBI, I serve on the Steering Committee of the ITU’s ‘AI for Good’ initiative, where we shape global collaborations to use AI responsibly for social impact.

I also act as a judging member for ‘She Shapes AI’, amplifying the voices and innovations of women driving inclusive AI solutions.

Together, these roles reinforce the importance of building technology that truly serves humanity.

2) What’s a moment in your career when you saw firsthand how technology or a new policy changed a citizen’s life for the better?

One of the most powerful (but perhaps overlooked) examples I’ve seen wasn’t a sophisticated AI system, but a simple digital intervention: online vaccination appointment booking during the COVID-19 pandemic.

By streamlining access through a user-friendly platform, millions of citizens, including the elderly, were able to secure appointments with confidence and clarity.

What struck me was how this modest use of technology enabled trust and agency at a critical time.

It demonstrated that inclusion isn’t about adopting the most flashy or advanced tools, but about designing digital services that meet people where they are — clear, accessible, and built around real human needs.

3) What was the most impactful project you worked on this year, and how did you measure its success in building trust and serving the needs of the public?

This year, I helped develop regional policy recommendations to guide governments in navigating the impact of AI on labour markets in Southeast Asia.

Our goal was not only to shape policy but to shift mindsets — from seeing AI purely as a tool of automation to understanding its potential to augment human intelligence and productivity. 

The work has already inspired meaningful collaboration. In the Philippines, our discussions led to the launch of a national AI governance initiative in partnership with the Department of Information and Communications Technology.

This effort has since evolved into an inter-agency AI Technical Working Group under the National Innovation Council, chaired by President Marcos — a concrete step toward embedding responsible AI governance into national innovation strategy. 

4) What was one unexpected lesson you learned this year about designing for real people? This can be about a specific project or a broader lesson about your work.

Through our participatory policymaking projects — including working with gig workers across Asia — I learned that people are experts in their own experience. 

Instead of seeing someone as an end user, design ways to bring them into the co-creation process. When we bring workers, citizens, policymakers, and employers together to co-design policy, the result is not just more legitimate but more effective. 

Designing for real people means designing with them — building empathy into every stage of the policymaking process.

5) We hear a lot about AI. What's a practical example of how AI can be used to make government services more inclusive and trustworthy?

AI can make government services more inclusive and trustworthy by improving how decisions are made and how quickly help reaches vulnerable communities.

At TBI, we’re working with the Department of Environment and Natural Resources of the Philippines to integrate AI into disaster planning.

By combining advanced models with satellite and remote-sensing data, the government can now deliver faster, wider and more accurate landslide risk assessments.

This leap in capability means that local governments can access more up-to-date, reliable data to protect lives and livelihoods.

It’s a powerful example of how AI can help governments serve citizens more efficiently and equitably. 

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6) How are you preparing for the next wave of change in the public sector? What new skill, approach, or technology are you most excited to explore in the coming year?

We have all heard about the potential of AI, but the real transformation (not just incremental improvements) are far and few in between.

I believe that the next frontier lies in learning from early trials in agents and agentic AI: uncovering insights about where such tools enhance human capability, and where human oversight remains essential.

This can help governments to re-deploy talent into high (human) demand areas, such as education, social care, and healthcare, where empathy and judgment are irreplaceable.

7) What advice do you have for public sector innovators who want to build a career focused on serving all citizens?

My experience at Design Council UK taught me that we need to be clear about the problem we're solving.

Taking reference from the double diamond approach: first, design the right thing by deeply understanding citizens’ needs and pain points, and be clear about your problem statements; then, design the thing right by co-designing, user testing iterating solutions. Innovation in government succeeds when empathy and evidence work hand in hand.

8) Who inspires you to build a more inclusive and trustworthy public sector?

I’m deeply inspired by Dr Fei-Fei Li, the ‘godmother of AI’ and founding Co-Director of Stanford’s Human-Centered AI Institute.

Her career reflects resilience, fearlessness, and a steadfast belief that technology must serve humanity, not the other way around.  

9) If you had an unlimited budget, what would your dream project be?

I’d build a Global Lab for the Future — a participatory digital platform where citizens, especially youth and children, could see, simulate, and shape the world they want to inherit.

Imagine a digital twin for policymaking and planning — an interactive environment where users could test decisions in real time, visualise how today’s policy choices might affect economies, ecosystems, and societies decades from now.

This would be both a learning tool and a civic sandbox — part simulation, part collective imagination. Because policymaking shouldn’t be confined to government halls; it should be a living conversation with citizens.

Ultimately, we’re designing a better world together, and our voices should collectively shape it.

10) Outside tech, what excites you the most?

Outside of tech, I’m passionate about mentoring the next generation of change-makers.

I volunteer as an Industry Mentor at Singapore’s Institute for Adult Learning, where I guide aspiring leaders, and help them navigate complex transitions and boundaries.

Creating spaces where people can grow, reflect, and lead with empathy is what energises me most.