Singapore’s AI push needs a defensive shield to protect workers

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For workers, training and upskilling will open avenues to higher-value roles. Those who master AI tools may find themselves augmented rather than replaced and will command premium wages.

The vulnerability here extends well beyond factory floors and call centres. Recent research reveals that generative AI disproportionately affects cognitive workers – precisely the middle- to upper-income professionals who have traditionally enjoyed job security. Various studies show that occupations involving non-routine cognitive tasks are among the most exposed to AI automation. Computer programmers, accountants, legal assistants and financial analysts, who typically have college degrees and command respectable salaries, face significant exposure. This represents a fundamental shift from previous waves of automation, which primarily affected routine manual and clerical jobs. As the International Monetary Fund notes, nearly 60 per cent of employment in advanced economies is exposed to AI – and it’s the high-skilled workers who face the greatest risk. Singapore, with its large knowledge-intensive workforce, is particularly vulnerable.

Workers who are laid off often experience large and persistent income losses when they find new employment. Research on displaced workers shows that those who lose their jobs earn on average 33 per cent less when they are re-employed, with earnings deficits persisting for years. Especially for older cognitive workers who have spent decades building specialised expertise, the erosion of human capital can be particularly severe. Their skills may not transfer readily to other sectors – a compliance officer cannot easily become a data scientist, for example – and younger, cheaper workers familiar with AI tools may hold a decisive advantage.

Qn: To what extent is artificial intelligence replacing the role of humans? (Cam. 2019)

Can Olympic skier Eileen Gu continue to walk the US-China tightrope?

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Note that not all individuals represent the nation that they were born or grew up in....

Qn: 'Individuals achieve sporting success, not nations.’ Discuss.

Top 5% of households in S’pore hold one-third of wealth: Jeffrey Siow

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Singapore's top 1% holds 14% of household wealth; top 5% holds 33%, with wealth inequality (Gini 0.55) higher than income inequality

Gini coefficient for wealth estimated to be 0.55, while that for income was 0.38 after taxes and transfers.

Qn: To what extent should income equality be a goal in your society? (Cam. 2019)

Forum: Rethink fairness in exams when accommodating students with dyslexia

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Fairness should not mean treating every student identically. It should mean giving each student a fair opportunity to demonstrate what they know.

Qn: In your society, how far is equality for all a reality? (Cam. 2012)

Back to school for Lions coach Gavin Lee, who shares lessons at Victoria JC

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Good local example on resilience....

Looking back, I’m just glad that I didn’t give up (my studies). I was very close to it and that was probably the easiest thing to do. It’s just like my coaching career, where I have had (more) setbacks than good moments.”

Getting through the tough times, it really came down to the support around you. And it’s a journey that you cannot go through alone.

also shared with students the importance of resilience, a quality that helped him ace his A-level examinations and earn a degree in business administration from the National University of Singapore.

Why post on Instagram? 4 in 10 South Koreans use it to boast, survey shows

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Link to idea of social media causing more self-centredness and narcissism...

Forum: Erasing sports coverage narrows the lens on public life

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When the Washington Post shutters its sports section, it does not merely cut costs – it abdicates responsibility.

A true public institution adapts; it does not retreat. To withdraw rather than innovate is to signal that the paper no longer sees itself as a custodian of collective memory.

Qn: Consider the view that profitability should be the highest priority of a business. (Cam. 2024 Syllabus 8807)

Singapore to resume crow shooting operations from second half of March

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Qn: To what extent are the rights of animals protected in your society? (Cam. 2012)

Meet insurance boss Lucas Neo, who faced backlash over frank reviews of Michelin-listed hawkers

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food content creators and netizens who slammed him for affecting hawker livelihoods and even accused him of “breaking their rice bowls”

Related links:

HERE: Hup Chong Yong Tau Foo owner breaks down over negative review 1 month before closure, says it was 'worst Christmas ever'....The owner of Hup Chong Yong Tau Foo, located in Toa Payoh, has said that their family have been "deeply hurt" by an online commentary criticising its pricing, just one month before it closes down for good.

HERE: 'Be human first, influence later': Kampong Glam bazaar banner a 'lovely reminder' to food reviewers, says netizen.....The banner reads: "We strive for perfection, but we are only human. If you feel inclined to leave a negative review, we humbly ask for the opportunity to make it right first." "Kindness is not found in anything except that it beautifies it. Be human first, influence later," it added at the end.

Qns:
1. Do social media influencers and content creators have too much power in today’s world? (VJC Promos 2025)
2. Should social media influencers be held accountable for their views or actions? (NYJC J1 Promos 2025)

Imagine a Singapore without all that hyper-competition

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There’s a difference between healthy competition – good-spirited motivation to advance sustainably – and hyper-competition. The latter requires us to push others out of the way and operate from a zero-sum mindset, believing that a win for others is automatically a loss for us. 

the idea of “can’t miss out” or “me-first” is pervasive in so many areas of our lives. Zero-sum approaches to life result broadly in three losses, my research found: a lack of curiosity, generosity and risk-taking necessary for leadership.

If we believe that success is winner-take-all, we’re less likely to want to cooperate and collaborate, let alone “give away” any of our resources unconditionally.

The narrative around competition is often about how it drives excellence, but in practice, it often rewards those who conform most closely to a set standard. Competition makes us more risk-averse. Risk-taking – and the corresponding failure at times – is deeply necessary for growth, innovation and leadership.

Qns:

1. Is competition always desirable? (Cam. 2016)

2. 'Being very competitive is not always desirable.’ Do you agree? Why or why not?

India’s top cities can be a nightmare to live in

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Qn: Consider the view that city life is losing its appeal. 

It is timely for Singapore to work on climate adaptation

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In 2019, then Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said in his National Day Rally speech that Singapore’s climate change defences 

were as existential for the country as its armed forces

.

But one area we could do better in is to help people understand that climate adaptation also requires action on their part.

Unlike neighbouring countries, Singapore has not yet faced severe climate impacts, so climate change can feel like a distant concern for many. And this sentiment could slow the urgency of preparing for climate shocks. The problem is not ignorance, apathy or a lack of moral concern.....the way climate impacts are framed could be preventing the masses from taking action. Climate impacts are often described as happening years later from 2050, elsewhere in the Arctic and deep rainforest, or at a larger scale. “These framings, while scientifically accurate, unintentionally generate psychological escape routes. Together, they form what I call a ‘Pandora’s box of excuses’ that allows people to care abstractly while postponing action indefinitely

Sport for kids can’t just be about winning. It’s first about having fun

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Qn: 'Being very competitive is not always desirable.’ Do you agree? Why or why not?

With AI translation tools, what’s the point of learning different languages?

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The belief that instant translation renders language learning redundant rests on the fallacy that meaning travels neatly across languages. But human language is far more complex than that.

Translation can provide surface meaning. It cannot automatically convey judgment, sensitivity or cultural awareness.

For years, doctors in the United States were advised not to say “I’m sorry” after medical complications because the phrase could be interpreted in court as an admission of liability, a concern significant enough that many states passed “apology laws” to distinguish expressions of sympathy from admissions of wrongdoing.

This is why language operates on more than an informational level. As Nelson Mandela observed, speaking to someone in a language they understand reaches their head. Speaking to them in their own language reaches their heart.

This is why tools designed to bridge languages can paradoxically widen the gap between speakers. They match words and sentences, but strip away the emotional and social frames that give language texture.

Students today have grown up with automatic translation at the click of a button. Tools such as DeepL and Google Translate are now routine fixtures. Increasingly, learners question the need to memorise vocabulary or practise grammatical structures when fluent paragraphs can be generated instantly.

confuses language access with language competence

AI can bridge words. It cannot fully bridge worlds. And that is why learning languages still matters.

Qns:

1. Assess the view that accurate translation between languages is always necessary. (Cam. 2023)

2. “Modern technology will mean the end of education.” Is this a fair statement of your society? (CJC Prelim 2025)

3. 'It is hard to say sorry.' Do you always find it easy to apologise?

Malaysian actress Michelle Yeoh cements legacy on Hollywood Walk of Fame

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I hope it also reminds someone, somewhere, that it is possible that where you begin does not define where you can go

Relate to this quote from PM Lee's speech in his last May Day Rally Speech in 2024: In Singapore, unlike in some other countries, your postal code does not determine your destiny.

For issues on geography is destiny....

U2 slam ICE agents in US, Russia’s Putin in new Days Of Ash EP

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Days Of Ash EP is “an immediate response to current events and inspired by the many extraordinary and courageous people fighting on the front lines of freedom”

The EP also sees U2 pay tribute to Renee Good, an American woman who was shot dead by a federal agent as she protested against Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) operations in January. In the opening track American Obituary, Bono sings: “Renee Good born to die free.”

U2 became one of the world’s most prominent rock bands through hits like With Or Without You (1987) and their vocal human rights campaigning. Bono, 65, is well known for his activism to eradicate poverty and fight Aids, and has been outspoken against wars in Ukraine, Sudan and Gaza in recent years. Song Of The Future honours a teenage girl who died while protesting in Iran in 2022, while One Life At A Time criticises Israeli settler activity in the occupied West Bank.

Qn: 'There is a lack of appreciation for the value of music.’ How far is this true in your society? (Cam. 2024)

Los Angeles sues Roblox over child exploitation claim

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social media giants, including Facebook, are being sued over claims that their addictive algorithms target young teenagers.

Roblox has a responsibility to keep kids safe, but instead it has allowed its platform to become a place where children can be exposed to grooming and exploitation

Why an AI video of Tom Cruise battling Brad Pitt spooked Hollywood

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See AI Clip HERE

Qn: To what extent is artificial intelligence replacing the role of humans? (Cam. 2019)

Forum: Singapore’s AI efforts must not exclude persons with disabilities

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AI, like other technologies, can reinforce discrimination and exclusion. For instance, many AI algorithms and tools are developed by being trained via pattern recognition and arrive at determinations based on typical or common patterns within datasets. Yet, due to barriers in our societies, persons with disabilities and disabled realities are often under-represented or excluded from spaces and organisations that contribute to the data and information that AI is trained on.

With somersaults, nunchucks, China’s humanoid robots thrill at CNY show – but can they make coffee?

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a shortage of data to help the robots understand and adapt to any given environment they are placed in...In the absence of this, they will need “a lot of hand-holding, a lot of fine-tuning” each time they encounter a new scenario, he added....So for now, humanoid robots still have some way to go

 before becoming a staple in homes, or even productive shopkeepers.

“Can’t it do cooking yet?” retiree Yin Xiaofei, 60, wanted to know. The answer was no, as the robot could not come into contact with water, the staff member said.

Qn: To what extent is artificial intelligence replacing the role of humans? (Cam. 2019)

Meta’s Zuckerberg denies at LA trial that Instagram targets kids

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Beyond the blockbuster: Shaw Theatres forges ahead by going into premium tiers

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For issues on whether cinemas still have a future....

NTU to counsel students after CNY lo hei event on campus draws flak over food waste

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