Ms He Ting Ru asked the Minister for Digital Development and Information (a) whether any research has been done on whether there is a gender gap in the adoption rates of artificial intelligence (AI) tools in Singapore, particularly in generative AI; (b) whether any groups have been identified as being more reluctant in adopting such AI technologies; and (c) whether there will be targeted initiatives to encourage these groups to better adopt AI technologies in educational and workplace settings.
The Minister of State for Digital Development and Information (Ms Rahayu Mahzam) (for the Minister for Digital Development and Information): Mr Speaker, international studies have highlighted a gender disparity in the adoption of artificial intelligence (AI), including generative AI (GenAI) globally. This reflects the broader trend of under-representation of women across the technology sector.
Women in Singapore are doing well compared to the global average. A study conducted by the Boston Consulting Group and the Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA) in May 2024 found that women make up 40% of Singapore’s technological workforce, surpassing the global average of 37%. Based on web traffic data from SimilarWeb, 47% of Singapore users of GenAI tools are female, slightly higher than the global average of 43%. This demonstrates their openness to participating in the technology industry and embracing new technologies, like AI.
Initiatives, such as the Singapore Women in Tech Movement, have championed efforts to attract, retain and develop women in technology. We aim to encourage AI adoption across all groups, while providing tailored initiatives to meet the needs and varying competencies of specific groups.
For workers, we have numerous SkillsFuture AI training courses. These allow individuals to acquire new AI skills, enhance their productivity and improve their employability in a rapidly evolving job market. For students, new AI for Fun modules will be introduced under the Code for Fun programme to expose primary and secondary schools to AI. These modules allow students to explore and tinker with technology, including through the design of prototypes incorporating AI. For the general public, the National Library Board’s (NLB’s) public outreach programmes, such as the Be SURE Together roadshows, incorporate GenAI content to educate them on the potentials and pitfalls of GenAI.
NLB also provides free access to learning resources, like LinkedIn Learning, which contain short courses on AI and GenAI for all NLB members. By ensuring broad access to AI tools and offering tailored support for different skill levels, we aim to make AI adoption inclusive and accessible to all.
Mr Speaker: Ms He Ting Ru.
Ms He Ting Ru (Sengkang): I thank the Minister of State Rahayu for the reply. I just wanted to ask some supplementary questions on this.
First is, whether or not, in the Code for Fun, have there been any attention paid to certain groups which might be found to be generally more reluctant or a little bit more afraid to engage with the topics?
And also, some of the schemes that she mentioned earlier, such as the NLB schemes, whether or not these schemes have user data or participant data tracked, not just in terms of gender, but age group and also socioeconomic background?
The thinking behind this is just to find out whether or not we need to target these groups that are generally under-represented in technology and AI.
Ms Rahayu Mahzam: I appreciate the Member’s question and concern in identifying certain groups which may not be as receptive or a bit more exposed to AI. She made specific references to two of the programmes that we are working on.
The Code for Fun programme is something that we do in schools. That is something that the teachers roll out and we do, indeed, aim to encourage more students to participate in it. We definitely can always look at enhancing this and ensuring that students from all backgrounds get to benefit from this. Being in school allows for that accessibility to students from different backgrounds to have access and for teachers to identify those who, perhaps, need more support and more nudging.
The NLB programme, indeed, is also with the same thinking. It is done in a platform that is accessible for all. I believe there should be tracking of some of this participation. This is something that I will need to look into. But it is something that we are cognisant of, that there are certain groups that may not be as receptive or maybe even groups we want to reach out to share these resources and we will continue with our efforts to do so.
We continue to work also with partners through our Digital for Life programmes. Through these partners, who are working in the ground communities, they help us access different groups with different modalities. With the suite of all these efforts, we should be able to reach out to different groups. But if there are any groups that the Member has identified that needs further support, please let us know and we would be happy to reach out and extend some of these resources to them.
Ministry of Digital Development and Information
16 October 2024
https://sprs.parl.gov.sg/search/#/sprs3topic?reportid=oral-answer-3677
Office of the Leader of the Opposition 