Minister Josephine Teo’s Convocation Address at SIT Convocation 2026

Chancellor of SIT Mr Heng Swee Keat,

President Prof Chua Kee Chaing,

Registrar Dr Moses Koh,

Distinguished faculty members and guests,

Graduating class of 2026,

1. Let me start by congratulating all our graduands - well done!

2. Today belongs to you and everyone who supported you through the demanding projects, difficult examinations, and the occasional disappointments. Your families, lecturers, and mentors also deserve acknowledgment – a round of applause for them!

3. Last October, at the opening of the SIT-NVIDIA AI Centre, I spoke about why we pursue technology. It is not simply because it is new or powerful. It is because technology can help improve lives, if we do it right.

4. In recent times, AI has become more capable and accessible. Along with excitement about the opportunities it brings, there are also pressing questions about its safety, trustworthiness and impact on jobs.

5. Singapore takes these concerns seriously and is actively working to address them. Our measures have been discussed in Parliament.

6. Our starting point is that AI adoption should be useful rather than fanciful. Specifically, it should help solve problems we care about as a society.

7. This line of thinking is familiar to engineers. A design may look impressive on paper. But does it work? Can people depend on it? What happens when conditions are less than ideal?

8. To get answers, engineers build prototypes, which are tested and improved upon, sometimes repeatedly, until they have a truly useful product.

9. I am glad that SIT has prepared you to approach problems in this practical manner. Today, I would like to offer three thoughts on how you can carry that preparation into your working lives.

10. First, build what works, for people and for Singapore.

    1. Apply your training and grow your expertise.

    2. As AI enters more industries and physical systems, it will become even more important that you have in-depth knowledge and the ability to apply it to unexpected situations.

11. Your fellow graduand, Timothy Wong, is a good example.

    1. He worked on a robot that was supposed to apply grout between tiles.

    2. But the robot also kept rolling over freshly grouted lines, creating additional work to clean up the mess.

12. Timothy redesigned the robot to work properly.

    1. This may not be as dramatic as a robot breaking Usain Bolt’s 100-metre sprint record.

    2. But to the tile layers, Tim’s robot was certainly more useful.

13. Much of the useful work we do involves careful observation, honest identification of problems, and steady improvements.

14. The same discipline applies to safety and cybersecurity, where upstream measures to prevent failures and misuse are even more important than before.

15. Another graduand, Ihsan Nursaqif, demonstrated such thinking:

    1. He designed a dashboard to help cybersecurity administrators analyse suspicious activity more quickly and safely.

    2. He did not stop there, but went on to explore using AI to prepare a honeypot, which cyber defenders use to draw in cyber attackers in order to study their tactics.

    3. This example also shows how AI can be used to protect other systems.

16. Second, keep learning, and especially learn to work well with AI.

    1. Some of you have found work. Others are still searching.

    2. Like many already in the workforce, you may also wonder what humans will do as AI does more.

17. The answer to this question depends on how AI further develops and also what we do in response.  After all,

    1. We already know that many jobs will change.

    2. We know that having AI skills will help a person stay relevant.

    3. We also know that it is important to keep creating good jobs to make up for potential job losses.

18. This means working with industry to support skills development and expand opportunities for our people. On this note, I am very glad to hear from Professor Chua about all the exciting developments in helping SIT graduates  further deepen their skills whilst they  are in the institution and well after they have left.

    1. On the Government’s part, through the TechSkills Accelerator, we are helping tech workers develop capabilities for AI-enabled work.

    2. We want them to know when to use AI and even more so, when to rely on human judgement.

19. Through attracting more AI-related companies and activities here, we also expand work options for Singaporeans.

    1. This year alone, prominent companies like OpenAI, Databricks, and Google DeepMind have announced hiring plans here.

    2. In other sectors like manufacturing, logistics, banking, or Government itself, there are also opportunities for those with AI skills.

20. An important opportunity lies in combining your technological skills with knowledge of a profession or industry.

21. I have described this as “AI bilingualism”. It means being able to work in the language of your chosen domain, and also the language of AI. Fluency in both puts you in a stronger position.

22. In Boston recently, I met researchers at the Broad Institute. Their different journeys illustrated this idea.

    1. Some began in biology or clinical work, then acquired AI skills.

    2. Others started in computing and developed the scientific and healthcare knowledge needed to contribute.

    3. There was no single journey that defined all of their experiences. What mattered was their ability to bridge disciplines and understand the problem they were trying to solve.

23. You can approach your own development in the same way.

    1. Build depth in your field.

    2. Learn what AI can help you do.

    3. Then bring the two together.

24. And remember that your career need not follow a straight line.

    1. Your fellow graduand, Yang Long Kai, had intended to work in aerospace. But COVID-19 disrupted his plans.

    2. He retrained in AI and became a network engineer at NCS.

    3. While still working, he pursued an Applied Computing degree through SIT’s Competency-Based Stackable Micro-Credential Pathway.

25. His journey is a reminder that a disrupted plan need not be the end of the road. It can become the beginning of another – potentially even brighter road.

26. Third, the more capable technology becomes, the more human judgement matters.

27. It will be useful to treat AI as a teammate rather than as a rival.

    1. Working well with AI, however, does not mean agreeing with everything it says.

    2. We should understand its strengths, question its answers, and recognise its limitations.

28. Find ways to retain and apply the foundations you have learnt, such as structural integrity, systems thinking, safety, and sound design.

29. Remember that empathy, ethics, and an understanding of context will always matter.

30. Put another way, we should certainly use AI to extend our capabilities, but we must never stop thinking for ourselves or feeling for others.

31. The same principle applies when we govern technology.

    1. Last month, at an international discussion in New York on how AI is changing our economies and societies, I spoke about the absence of a ready playbook for AI safety.

    2. Knowing AI’s capabilities does not, by itself, tell us where it should be used, which risks are acceptable, or when a human should step in.

    3. Those decisions require human judgement. In fact, what we are seeking is not just humans in the loop, but humans in the lead.

32. Although AI safety is still an evolving field, we can already exercise judgement through testing carefully, putting proper guardrails in place, and improving as we learn.

33. For SIT graduates, this should be familiar.

    1. A design may work in theory.

    2. But it takes your judgement to assess whether it will work safely and reliably in practice.

34. This willingness to identify weaknesses is not a lack of confidence. It is how we build something worthy of our trust.

Conclusion

35. Class of 2026, regardless of where your careers take you, you are leaving SIT with more than a degree.

36. You bring the applied instincts to build what works, the foundations to keep learning, and the human judgement to guide technology to serve people. More than that, you always have a ticket to return to refresh your skills and contribute in bigger capacities.

    1. Timothy, Ihsan, and Long Kai show how these qualities can make a difference.

    2. Singaporeans will appreciate your ability to turn possibilities into practical benefits, while managing risks thoughtfully.

37. Congratulations once again, and I wish you success in all that you do. Thank you!