Commentary: Workers shouldn’t have to figure out AI on their own
Source: CNA Tech
Singapore's economic transformation will not be felt by workers as a policy headline — it will land as a new system to learn, a job scope that keeps shifting, and a manager asking them to "use more AI". That is the argument of Nanyang Technological University professor Trevor Yu, writing in a CNA.
Singapore's economic transformation will not be felt by workers as a policy headline — it will land as a new system to learn, a job scope that keeps shifting, and a manager asking them to "use more AI". That is the argument of Nanyang Technological University professor Trevor Yu, writing in a CNA commentary about what the Economic Strategy Review must actually deliver on the ground.
The essay zeroes in on the gap between national strategy and daily working life. Employees are asking pointed questions about whether AI means doing more with fewer resources, whether they are automating themselves out of a job, and why nobody can explain what using the technology well actually looks like. Managers are equally uncertain, wrestling with which tasks to delegate to AI, how to evaluate performance when staff lean on the tools, and how to encourage experimentation when they are still learning themselves.
Yu's core point is that turning national direction into real change means redesigning work job by job, rather than leaving employees to figure out AI on their own. The uncertainty is compounded because everyone in the organisation is still feeling their way forward — there is no settled playbook for how AI reshapes individual roles, incentives, or performance reviews.
This speaks to a bigger challenge for Singapore's AI push: infrastructure and investment are only part of the equation. If workers do not know what competent AI use looks like in their specific role, or if managers cannot evaluate it, the productivity gains the country is banking on may be slow to materialise.
Why it matters for Singapore: For a city-state staking its competitiveness on AI adoption, the human side of the transition is as important as the compute and talent pipeline. This commentary is a reminder that the Economic Strategy Review's success will be judged less by headline targets and more by whether managers and employees on the ground get the redesign, training and clarity they need.
