Letters | Look to Singapore for how to improve Hong Kong’s AI skills

Readers discuss lessons to learn from the world’s second most talent-competitive economy, kindness in Hong Kong, and why the city need not heed the complaints of a few

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Lawrence Wong, then deputy prime minister of Singapore, speaks at the launch of both the country’s second National AI Strategy and the
Singapore Conference on AI on December 4. Photo: EPA-EFE

Published: 11:30am, 17 Jun 2024

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Earlier this month, the non-profit organisation Esperanza held a forum on artificial intelligence, where interesting presentations were made on how AI is changing education and workforce development and how we should adapt. I came away impressed by the sharing on Singapore’s holistic policy supporting the integration of the technology into the whole spectrum of education, from kindergarten all the way to lifelong learning for workers.

What about Hong Kong? The government’s Digital Economy Development Committee has announced 12 recommendations to help steer Hong Kong in the digital age, among them a holistic manpower strategy to attract, retain and cultivate digital talent and efforts to enhance digital literacy.

I believe we have much to learn from Singapore, which last year was named the world’s second most talent-competitive economy by INSEAD, behind Switzerland.

For instance, Singapore’s Ministry of Education manages an online learning portal that encourages students to engage in different learning modes through the use of technology. All teachers and students have access to it. There are several AI-enabled features at this portal – such as the Language Feedback Assistant for English that provides feedback on students’ writing – that explicitly support the city state’s national AI strategy.

Meanwhile, its SkillsFuture initiative focuses on those who have already left school. This promotes lifelong learning, thereby strengthening the ecosystem of quality education and training in Singapore.