Politics · Other · 7 hrs ago
Singapore weighs safeguards as AI could reduce training for young workers
Singapore is concerned that artificial intelligence could remove routine tasks that help young workers learn their jobs.
Prime Minister Lawrence Wong raised the issue at a conference in Singapore on Monday.
He said tasks such as taking notes, drafting speeches and preparing slides can provide useful early-career training.
The government is studying how employers train and mentor young workers and whether new schemes are needed.
A Ministry of Manpower report found that some companies using AI had cut staff or reduced hiring, while many others had redesigned jobs or moved workers into new roles.
Wong said employers should use AI to improve productivity while continuing to develop the next generation of workers.
He also said technology should benefit all Singaporeans and that people must remain responsible for critical decisions.
Singapore supports stronger international safeguards for advanced AI, and Wong said voluntary standards could be a starting point for wider rules.
Singapore is studying whether safeguards are needed to ensure young workers receive enough training as artificial intelligence automates routine work.
Prime Minister Lawrence Wong said AI could break the “bottom rung” of the career ladder for young workers.
He urged employers to be deliberate about training and mentoring while using AI to improve productivity.
A Ministry of Manpower report found that 6.2 per cent of Singapore companies that had adopted AI reported reduced headcount, while 8.5 per cent reported lower hiring activity.
Wong also said Singapore backed stronger international safeguards for frontier AI and that humans should retain responsibility for critical decisions.
- Who
- Singapore Prime Minister Lawrence Wong said the government is studying the issue. He called on employers to train and mentor young workers.
- What
- Singapore is considering whether new schemes are needed to ensure AI does not reduce young workers’ training.
- When
- Oct 12, 2026.
- Where
- Singapore; Wong spoke at DBS Group’s Asia Future Forward conference.
- Why
- AI may automate routine tasks that have helped young workers learn, leaving them with too little training.
This story does not have two clearly opposing sides.
We are concerned that there may be that bottom rung of the career ladder that’s broken and young people may not get sufficient training.
AI will replace all of that routine work, but we should be careful not to automate away the learning that comes from it.
We are not trying to be an AI-driven society. We are trying to be a better society enabled by AI.
A Ministry of Manpower report found that some companies adopting AI reported reduced headcount or lower hiring activity.
Anthropic chief executive Dario Amodei called on AI firms to slow development, describing rapid development as reckless.
US President Donald Trump said technology executives had agreed to establish voluntary AI standards after meeting at the White House.
Wong said Singapore was studying young workers’ training and mentoring and supported stronger safeguards for frontier AI.
- AI-adopting companies reporting reduced headcount
- 6.2 per cent
- AI-adopting companies reporting lower hiring activity
- 8.5 per cent
- Event
- DBS Group’s Asia Future Forward conference
- Speaker
- Prime Minister Lawrence Wong
- Conference date
- Oct 12, 2026
Sources
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