Three in Five Singapore PMETs Lack Confidence in Spotting AI Misinformation, Poll Finds
Source: The Straits Times
Only two in five Singapore PMETs are confident identifying AI-generated misinformation, a new NLB-KPMG poll of 1,150 workers reveals. The finding prompted the launch of a year-long national reading initiative called Read to Lead to boost critical evaluation skills.
Only two in five Singapore professionals feel confident they can tell AI-generated misinformation apart from the truth, according to a new poll by the National Library Board and KPMG — a finding that underscores just how vulnerable the workforce remains to manipulated content in the age of generative AI.
The poll surveyed 1,150 professionals, managers, executives and technicians (PMETs) in June and July 2026, and also found that just two in five would check the original source of a statistic cited by an AI-generated summary before forming an opinion. The data was released as the Ministry of Digital Development and Information launched Read to Lead: Building an AI-Ready Mind, a national year-long initiative to strengthen critical evaluation skills among Singapore workers.
Minister of State for Digital Development and Information Rahayu Mahzam said at the July 14 launch event at Asia Square that the findings serve as a reminder that Singaporeans may still accept content too readily, even when they know it could be incomplete or AI-generated. The initiative features pop-up mystery book carts, panel discussions, and interactive quizzes running from July 14 to 16 across multiple venues including the National Library Building and KPMG Clubhouse.
KPMG and NLB will also co-develop an educational toolkit on AI and misinformation counter-strategies to help PMETs and businesses navigate the increasingly blurred line between authentic and synthetic content. Talks by AI literacy experts are planned across NLB libraries, with dates to be announced.
Why it matters for Singapore: As AI-generated content becomes indistinguishable from human-produced material, Singapore's workforce faces a growing cognitive challenge. The 60 per cent of PMETs who cannot reliably flag AI misinformation represent a significant vulnerability in the nation's push to become a global AI hub — digital literacy is the foundation on which all other AI capabilities rest, and this poll suggests the foundation has cracks that need urgent attention.