The Great Intelligence Deflation in Singapore
Singapore has long positioned itself as the brainy hub of Southeast Asia – the region's meritocracy where education, intelligence and pragmatism create prosperity. It's why I came to Singapore initially – a place that promised rewards for good academic grades, accumulated expertise and rational problem-solving. I spent years building knowledge and credentials that I could use as solid currency. And for decades, this narrative served us all well.?
But when the Singapore government talks about "applying AI on a large scale in key sectors," I fear we are in for a fundamental shift that could upend the nation's tried-and-tested narrative.
Why? Because when PhD-level intelligence, reasoning and problem-solving becomes an API call, the value of human intelligence changes.?
The Singapore professional who spent decades cultivating knowledge and expertise in finance, healthcare, or logistics now faces AI systems that can instantly access and synthesize more information than they could learn in three lifetimes.?
The researcher plowing through websites and documents, the analyst preparing reports, the middle manager synthesising information, the consultant making recommendations, the content creator writing based on industry knowledge – these roles will be immediately affected.?
(A recent example: I watched OpenAI latest Deep Research model compile in ten minutes what would have taken one of our agency’s account teams an entire day – complete with citations even I would have missed.)
Where will those displaced by AI move on to? Jobs will be harder to come by. The agency leader, marketer, content creator, consultant, or advisor who once needed a support staff of five or more can now produce comparable output as a solo or few-persons practice with the right AI toolkit. And post-COVID, we've learned these AI-powered solopreneurs don't even need Singapore postal codes - certainly not the exorbitant Shenton Way or Tanjong Pagar ones - to serve Singapore clients.??
So when DPM Heng speaks of Singapore's AI ambitions, he's promoting how our little red dot will once again transform itself. But this transformation won't be like our shift from entrep?t to manufacturing hub, or from manufacturing to services. Those changes gave us decades to adapt.
I suspect AI won't be so patient.
This transformation won't wait for the 40-year-old knowledge worker juggling a Bishan HDB mortgage, tuition fees for school-going children, and ageing parents who need medical treatments. It won't slow down for the fresh NUS graduate discovering that entry-level positions are disappearing faster than parking spots in the CBD during lunch hour. The traditional Singapore career ladder – study hard, ace exams, accumulate credentials, climb steadily upward – suddenly resembles a ladder leaning against the wrong wall, while someone quietly removes the building.
Singapore has always prided itself on pragmatic foresight. However, the true test isn't how quickly we can deploy AI - we most certainly must and will - but whether we can acknowledge the uncomfortable reality that our social compact is about to face its greatest challenge.
Because when knowledge, credentials and intelligence become commodities, merit will be measured by something else entirely – and we need to quickly figure out what that something is.
What do you think? What will the Singapore compact look like in the AI era? How are you preparing yourself and your kids for this shift? Share your thoughts in the comments – I'm genuinely curious how others are navigating these waters.