Keynote Address by SMS Tan Kiat How at the Launch of SUTD CoLab

Professor Phoon Kok Kwang, President of SUTD,

Dr Tianyi Jiang, Co-Founder and CEO of AvePoint,

Distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen,

1. A very good afternoon to all of you.

2. It is my pleasure to join you for the launch of SUTD CoLab. My congratulations to SUTD, AvePoint, MaivenPoint and all of your partners.

3. AI is becoming more powerful, affordable and accessible. Singaporeans are embracing it. The latest e-Conomy SEA report by Google, Temasek and Bain points to widespread use of AI across the region, with Singapore among the more advanced markets for enterprise applications.

4. But adoption tells only part of the story. In a recent survey that MDDI conducted, Singaporeans remained broadly optimistic about AI, even as concerns about misinformation, misuse and other risks have grown.

5. Singaporeans are not simply asking what AI can do. They increasingly want to know what AI can do for them and whether they can trust it.

6. They want tangible benefits – better services, stronger businesses, better jobs and improvements to everyday life. And they want these benefits delivered safely and responsibly.

7. That is the next phase of our AI journey – moving beyond simple adoption to real benefits, backed by trust and assurance. SUTD CoLab’s Learn, Build, Deploy approach can help us get there.

8. First, we need to turn AI adoption into meaningful results.

9. According to the 2026 Singapore Digital Economy Report, enterprise AI adoption rose from 14.7% in 2024 to 23.5% in 2025. This is encouraging. But the real measure of success is not how many tools we adopt; it is how much value we create.

10. A company might start by using AI to draft customer replies. That is good as it saves time. The bigger opportunity is to redesign the service process — allowing AI to handle routine requests while employees focus on complex cases requiring human judgement and empathy.

11. That takes more than a new tool. Businesses must redesign workflows, equip their people and put appropriate safeguards in place. A prototype shows what is possible. Deployment proves what is valuable.

12. This is where CoLab’s industry partners, including AvePoint and MaivenPoint, can contribute expertise in integration, implementation and governance.

13. The goal is not for every business to become an AI company. It is for every business to become a better company with AI.

14. Second, we need to bring our workers and people along. Workers must have the opportunity to shape how AI changes their work.

15. Being AI bilingual means combining AI fluency with domain knowledge and professional judgement. It does not mean everyone must become a programmer or software developer.

16. A security officer knows what happens during an incident. A frontline employee knows where customers encounter friction. That practical knowledge helps identify problems worth solving, whether within an organisation or across the industry.

17. Certis Group’s BOLD Programme illustrates this. With SUTD’s support, employees drew on their operational experience to develop six AI-powered prototypes addressing workplace challenges. The innovation began with the workers who understood the problems.

18. This reflects a lesson from our wider workforce efforts, including Bridge2Tech, which we recently announced as part of the TIP Alliance+ initiative. Training matters, but capability is built through application. Employers must give people opportunities to experiment, test ideas and improve real work.

19. AI should not just make workers more productive. It should help make them more capable.

20. Third, the benefits of AI must reach beyond large enterprises and technology specialists.

21. Under the National AI Impact Programme, we aim to support 10,000 enterprises in advancing their AI adoption journey and develop 100,000 AI bilingual workers. The ambition goes beyond the numbers. We want more workers, SMEs and community organisations to benefit from using AI in their workflows in their daily operations.

22. The challenge is that many smaller organisations have good ideas but lack dedicated technical teams. And not everyone begins with the same confidence or familiarity with AI. We need practical ways to lower those barriers for these organisations.

23. This is where SUTD’s strength in design is especially valuable. Good design starts not with what technology can do, but with what people need. What is difficult in their everyday lives? What could be simpler, safer or more accessible? Then we ask how AI can help.

24. Through Yayasan MENDAKI’s Langkah Digital M³ initiative, young people and working professionals worked with SUTD on community-focused prototypes. MyKampung explores how neighbours can offer and seek help; Career Compass helps students and parents explore education and career pathways.

25. These are prototypes, not yet proven outcomes. But they show that AI innovation can begin with an everyday problem that someone cares deeply enough to solve.

26. I am also encouraged by CoLab’s collaboration with SG Enable to support persons with disabilities. Imagine a small business serving customers better, a community organisation reaching more people in need, or someone with a disability gaining greater independence through the intersection of technology and design. These are tangible benefits worth pursuing.

27. Finally, tangible benefits must also be trusted benefits.

28. Last week, reports described how researchers using advanced AI models helped uncover critical vulnerabilities in PHP, a programming language used across the web. AI can help security experts find weaknesses faster. But similar capabilities could also be misused by attackers.

29. As AI becomes more powerful, our ability to assure its safety and security must advance alongside it. This is especially important as AI moves from answering questions to taking actions.

30. For businesses, it means testing systems, protecting data, monitoring performance and keeping appropriate human oversight. For SMEs and community organisations without specialist cybersecurity teams, trusted deployment support is particularly important.

31. Trust is not built by asking people to believe in AI. It is earned when AI delivers benefits safely and reliably.

32. Singapore has invested in AI research, digital infrastructure and enterprise transformation. But technology alone will not determine our success. What matters is how effectively people and organisations put it to work.

33. That is why I like CoLab’s approach: Learn — understand people’s needs, Build — turn ideas into practical solutions, and Deploy — deliver tangible benefits, safely and reliably.

34. I hope more employers, SMEs and community partners will participate. Bring your people, bring your problems, and give them the opportunity to build solutions.

35. Our ambition is not simply for Singaporeans to use AI widely. It is for AI to make a meaningful difference to people’s lives, and to do so safely and reliably.

36. Congratulations once again to SUTD and your partners. I look forward to the ideas, capabilities and impact that emerge from CoLab. Thank you.