"Speed is useless without direction": Josephine Teo on Singapore's AI strategy reset

Singapore has positioned itself as one of the fastest AI adopters outside the United States and China, drawing global names like OpenAI, Google, and Nvidia to set up shop in the city-state. But in a revealing Q&A published by Techgoondu today, Minister for Digital Development and Information Josephine Teo offered a more nuanced take on the country's AI trajectory: speed without direction isn't a strategy at all.

"Speed is not such a good thing if we're headed in the wrong direction," Teo told Techgoondu. "In the past, a strategy may be good for at least five years, maybe longer. Not with AI." The comment comes as Singapore unveils yet another refresh of its National AI Strategy (NAIS) — the third iteration since the original was launched in 2019 — signalling just how rapidly the underlying technology is evolving, and how seriously the government is taking the need to stay agile.

The updated NAIS, first announced at the ATxSummit in May and now being rolled out, zeroes in on four National AI Missions: advanced manufacturing, financial services, connectivity, and healthcare. These four sectors together account for more than half of Singapore's GDP, making them natural focal points for a strategy that aims to move beyond broad vision statements into concrete, sector-specific impact. The refresh also establishes the National AI Council (NAIC), chaired by Prime Minister Lawrence Wong, to provide strategic direction and drive execution.

Teo acknowledged that the public has real concerns about AI — job displacement, environmental costs, and the sheer speed of disruption. "With every technology, there can be concerns about risks, safety, and disruption," she said. "A person may also experience the downsides sooner and more intensely than the upsides." The government's answer is to invest heavily in AI literacy at scale: more than 150,000 public officers will be trained through the newly established Institute of Digital Government, and AI is being woven into public services so citizens can experience the benefits firsthand.

Why it matters for Singapore: This refresh signals that Singapore recognises the window for AI leadership is narrowing — and that the countries that get it right won't be the ones that moved fastest, but the ones that moved most deliberately. By anchoring its AI strategy in sectors where it already has genuine competitive advantages (finance, manufacturing, healthcare, connectivity), Singapore is hedging against the risk of spreading itself too thin. For businesses operating here, the message is clear: the government is betting big on applied AI, and the infrastructure, talent, and regulatory environment are being shaped to support that bet. The question is no longer whether to adopt AI, but how fast your organisation can adapt to a direction that's being set at a national level.