Interview Questions for King Wang Poon, Head of the Lee Kuan Yew Centre for Innovative Cities at the Singapore University of Technology and Design
In the heart of Singapore, a new strategy is being proposed to navigate the future of work and smart city development. MindxAI, a project under the Smart Nation initiative, aims to explore and influence the impact of artificial intelligence (AI) on the workforce.
MindxAI emphasizes human-AI collaboration, designing technologies where humans and AI work together, not against each other. The goal is to augment cognitive capacities, rather than diminish them. This approach is a response to the economic, social, and political trends of the past decade that have left many feeling a better future is slipping out of reach.
The strategy is simple: to consider and overcome people's "daily difficulties" in the smart city. By doing so, it aims to reduce barriers to a better life, as many people move to cities or choose to stay put because they believe it is where they have the best shot at a better life.
One of the main challenges in smart city development is the difficulty cities have in sharing and learning from each other's experiences. In Singapore, this has been particularly evident when looking at other cities' cashless payment innovations. Many of these innovations did not have to contend with established infrastructure and behaviors, making it difficult for Singapore to implement similar solutions.
To address this challenge, MindxAI proposes redesigning AI technologies to provide visual and spatial cues, preserving drivers' cognitive and spatial sense of the city. This approach is grounded in the human condition and shared humanity of the smart city, a focus that is also reflected in the work of the Lee Kuan Yew Centre for Innovative Cities (LKYCIC) at the Singapore University of Technology and Design (SUTD).
The role of academia in the Smart Nation initiative is to contribute ideas and innovations to address the complex challenges arising from the overlapping of past and present industrial revolutions in cities. The LKYCIC, for instance, conducts research to explore practical solutions for smart city development.
The concerns revolve around the question of "what do we do next?" to navigate the future with confidence. MindxAI addresses this by investing in technologies that increase the value of what workers do, rather than solely focusing on substitution. This is achieved through training programs like TechSkills Accelerator and partnerships between government, unions, and industry players to anticipate AI’s effects on jobs and enhance workforce readiness.
When other cities look at Singapore, they see a city-state with one layer of governance between city and state. However, cities like the United States have to work within federal, state, and municipal governance structures, making the implementation of similar strategies more complex.
In conclusion, MindxAI is a step towards a smarter, more human city. By focusing on human-AI collaboration, overcoming "daily difficulties", and investing in workforce development, it seeks to rebuild what has been lost and navigate the future with confidence. The strategy is a testament to Singapore's commitment to continuous innovation and its belief in the power of collaboration to shape the future of work and smart city development.
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