Singapore is going to launch an Artificial Intelligence (AI) initiative and a data science consortium to enhance the digital economy of the city-state, particularly in the health sector.
Both programs were unveiled in Singapore on May 3, 2017 by Dr. Yaacob Ibrahim, Minister for Communication and Information at the opening ceremony of Innovfest Unbound 2017, the anchor event of Smart Nation Innovations.
AI.SG: towards the creation of applications and robots to meet the health needs of Singaporeans
The first project presented by the Minister, entitled AI.SG., is launched by the National Research Foundation (NRF). This purpose is to allow different government agencies to exploit artificial intelligence in order to solve the main challenges faced by Singaporean society.
In the field of health, authorities, researchers and industry professionals will be supported to develop solutions based on artificial intelligence to help doctor and nurses perform more effectively.
Harnessing AI to develop solutions in order to deal with the aging population
Dr. Ibrahim said that various trial applications of AI will be implemented by the local healthcare company IHiS (Integrated Health Information System) and its partners to test the use of artificial intelligence in the sector.
- To meet the expectations of an aging population, artificial intelligence may also be deployed through support devices or smart applications to meet physical and mental health needs. Clinical trials are currently taking place for a NUS-developed robotic exoskeleton that can help stroke patients rehabilitate. The device is able to detect human intent and gait patterns via wearable sensors and machine learning algorithms, said the IHiS group.
- Artificial intelligence can also lead to the construction of enhanced robots that can interact with patients and remotely monitor them through voice recognition and language translation functions. They could also be used to facilitate home care, anticipate a risk and thus guarantee early medical intervention, but also limit the travel of health professionals who will be able to focus on more urgent situations.
« In about three years’ time, doctors and nurses could find themselves immersed in simulated emergency situations, and interact with virtual patients in realistic augmented reality-based environments to enhance their training for better patient care, » Dr. Ibrahim added.
An investment of $150 million over the next five years to develop up to 100 projects
An an R&D support programme called the NRF Fellowship and Investigatorship schemeswill encourage scientists and researchers to pursue deep tech AI research within Singapore, such as cognitive science and computing architectures.
The AI.SG team will also work with companies to deploy and commercialize up to 100 AI projects, as well as proof concepts.
The NRF is expected to invest up to S$150 million ($107 M; €98.6 M) in AI.SG over the next five years.
Singapore Data Science Consortium: Strengthening research in data science and analytics
The second project is called the Singapore Data Science Consortium. NRF will partner with three local universities, the National University of Singapore (NUS), the Singapore Management University (SMU) and the Nanyang Technological University, as well as research institute A*STAR to to set up this new consortium dedicated to data sciences.
The deployment of this program aims to strengthen the local network of data science experts. These consortium’s talents will be able to develop advanced data science and analytics solutions that meet the needs of the society.
The consortium will work in partnership with the EDB and the Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA) to engage companies to invest and design technologies in six economic sectors: finance, healthcare, customer and retail, manufacturing, logistics and transport.
Singapore, leader in the data science sector in Southeast Asia
According to official figures, Singapore is already home to more than 50% of data centers in South-East Asia. Therefore, this makes the city-state an ideal hub to develop the next generation of solutions based on data science and analytics tech.