ARE THERE JOBS AFTER AI?
A very good afternoon to all of you.
Introduction
1. Thank you for this invitation to explore how we can better prepare our graduates, for a rapidly changing, AI-enabled future.
2. Throughout history, humanity has experienced multiple quantum leaps in our quality of life by harnessing powers beyond our own, propelling us to new levels of existence.
3. The introduction of domesticated animals like horses, revolutionised human practices such as agriculture, hunting, and warfare, leading to a transformative impact on our society.
4. The invention of the steam engine unleashed the Industrial Revolution, which was rapidly followed by electricity, and more recently mass computing power and the Internet.
5. Today, we may be on the verge of another quantum leap in human history, with the emergence of generative artificial intelligence such as ChatGPT.
6. In the latest generation of AI, computers are no longer limited to processing huge amounts of data to generate predetermined outputs. Instead, modern AI enables computer algorithms to generate probabilistic results where each output can serve as an input towards improving itself, which has allowed machines to automate repetitive work efficiently, and analyse mass data to provide fresh insights.
7. As AI is increasingly able to fulfil the roles of humans in various tasks, many of us must be thinking – Are there still jobs after AI? If there are, what would the jobs look like? And what skills do we need to do such jobs?
Are there still jobs after AI?
8. The simple answer for me, is that yes, I believe there will still be jobs for tomorrow's graduates. But the type of jobs will be different. As manual, laborious and time-consuming jobs dwindle, jobs that value human creativity, empathy and judgement will increase.
9. For example, AI-enabled computer systems can certainly process vast amounts of data of financial markets, both existing and generative, to produce recommendations for investment decisions.
10. However, will we trust our monies with banks or institutions that are entirely run by AI? Beyond access to affordable cutting-edge technology, we need people in our institutions, in roles that help strengthen interpersonal relationships and build trust for us to have faith in the investment recommendations generated by computers.
11. Therefore, while it is not clear how the future of work will look like, and no one can say this with certainty, I am confident that there will still be jobs. However, two questions remain – What skills do we need to do these jobs? And how can we prepare our society for the potential challenges and opportunities of the future?
What skills do we need for these jobs?
12. Beyond academic results, I believe the following qualities will put our people ahead of the curve.
13. First, we need to develop an innate curiosity to seek new experiences and create new things. To anticipate and address future challenges, by creating solutions and opportunities in advance. Instead of learning yesterday's solutions for yesterday's problems as knowledge is increasingly commoditised.
14. Second, the ability to discover, distil and discern will help our people to stand out and stand tall. As knowledge becomes more accessible, there will be more to discover yet, but it will also become more difficult to identify what is relevant, as we become overloaded with information and fake news abound.
15. Therefore, as our people discover new content, it is important for our people to distill the crux from the noise, and to discern the right from the wrong, so as to make sound judgements based on sound values.
16. Third, an ability to collaborate with others and this will enable us to harness the diversity of our people and partners to create new value propositions. This is especially important in a fragmenting and polarising world where we can stay ahead by connecting people with different backgrounds, persuasions and perspectives.
17. And finally, our people must learn to combine technology and high-tech jobs, with high-touch personal services and a high-trust system to establish a strong Singapore brand, where we provide a safe and trusted harbour for global talent to thrive. And to do this, our people must travel widely – physically or virtually, to deeply understand our potential partners and their diverse fears, concerns and aspirations.
18. To inculcate these qualities, MOE will focus on the following.
19. To ignite curiosity in our people to continue learning and creating new solutions for tomorrow's problems by investing in the lifelong learning of our people. Not just in the first 15 years of their life in school, but for the next 50 years of their life beyond school as well.
20. We want to instill both the discipline and skillsets of our people to discover, distil and discern.
21. And we will continue to encourage our people to collaborate across disciplines, geographical boundaries, and cultures, as countries have opened their borders, to build bridges in a fragmenting and fractious world. This is part of our 70-70 aspiration, where we target for 70 per cent of every cohort in our Institutes of Higher Learning (IHLs) to undergo an overseas exposure programme, of which 70 per cent should be in ASEAN, China or India.
22. We want our people to learn to be adaptable amidst an uncertain and ever-changing world, by providing more opportunities for experiential learning outside the comforts and structure of the classroom.
23. These baseline competencies make up the Life Skills in the LifeSkills framework in our IHLs which will prepare our people for the future, especially an AI-enabled future.
SMU Integrated Co-Curricular Management System
24. On this note, I am glad to see SMU launch the Integrated Co-Curricular Management System and formal Co-Curricular Transcript today. This is a part of the manifestation of our belief in a world that celebrates multiple pathways of success. It also emphasises to students the range of life-skills and qualities needed to succeed in the future, beyond academic grades. It signals to employers the diversity of experiences and exposures our students have gone through, that will add to their ability to learn and evolve at speed to be prepared for the future.
25. I congratulate SMU for pioneering this, and look forward to more institutions joining SMU. Finally, I am excited to see more students making use of the range of opportunities in our institutions to broaden their experiences and deepen their exposure beyond academics for a more well-rounded and more grounded education.
26. Thank you, and I look forward to our discussion.