SINGAPORE: As Singapore moves into the next phase of its Smart Nation journey, the “building blocks” of growth, community and trust will be key, said Prime Minister Lawrence Wong.
In a speech at the Punggol Digital District on Tuesday (Oct 1) to launch the Smart Nation 2.0 initiative, Mr Wong said that this will be a work in progress as digital developments unfold, and as Singapore develops new and better solutions.
Smart Nation was first launched in 2014 under then Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong. Since then, Singapore has made “significant progress” and this can be felt and experienced in daily living, said Mr Wong.
“We have done well as a Smart Nation. But we must never think that we have arrived. Technology is advancing rapidly, and our operating environment is ever-changing,” he added.
“So we have to keep pace, stay abreast of the latest developments and continually strive to do better.”
Mr Wong noted how the digital landscape today is “vastly different” from a decade ago, with smartphones and social media now the main modes of communication. In addition, there have been recent breakthroughs in generative artificial intelligence (AI), he pointed out.
“All these mean that technology will have an even bigger impact on our lives. There will be tremendous opportunities ahead, but also new uncertainties and challenges to overcome,” Mr Wong said.
“So we must refresh our strategies for Smart Nation.”
