Storm clouds in 2019 Rohingya refugees Shenzhen beckons MCI(P) 056/08/2018 January - February 2019 INDEPENDENT • INSIDER • INSIGHTS ON ASIA DOES AI THREATEN YOUR JOB? Articial intelligence (AI) opens new pathways to progress but can affect livelihoods. Where are we headed? AI expert Kai-Fu Lee gives his answers inside. Data Digest WE BRING YOU SINGAPORE Living in a virtual world The start of the year marked an important per cent, now lives within reach of a mobile AND THE WORLD milestone. The International Telecommunications cellular network. And, 90 per cent of the global Union (ITU), the United Nations specialised population can access the Internet through agency for information and communication a 3G or higher speed network. All this means technologies estimates that 51.2 per cent of that as the world sprints towards bringing the global population or 3.9 billion people are virtually all things online – to be captured, now using the Internet. Mobile access to basic analysed and actioned in an instant – there is telecommunication services is becoming ever a growing need to ensure that we are working more predominant while broadband access towards a digital future that will benefit all, continues to demonstrate sustained growth. with the need of the hour to redouble efforts Nearly the entire world population, or 96 to ensure access for the remaining 50 per cent. Half the world’s online Percentage of population using the Internet Fixed and mobile broadband subscriptions* Penetration rate Number of active mobile-broadband Developed subscriptions 69.3 subscriptions UP TO DATE IN THE KNOW countries 80.9% per 100 inhabitants News | Live blog | Mobile pushes Web specials | Newsletters | Microsites 5.3 billion Overall WhatsApp | SMS Special Features 51.3 Households with Internet access* Developing Number of households with countries Internet access 45.3% 60% 60% Opportunities will explode, so will challenges At the same time, one There has been significant Companies would have spent billion people have no progress. But as we think US$1.2 trillion (S$1.65 trillion) formal identity, excluding about leveraging the on digital transformation them from basic services efforts in 2018 opportunities of the digital and participation in society economy, let’s remember all those who are not yet By 2020, the average By 2022, Identity verification connected. Let’s use Internet user will have as a service will grow to a digitalisation as a powerful over 200 online accounts US$16 billion–US$20 billion market. enabler of inclusive economic growth. IN THE LOOP ON THE WATCH Facebook | Twitter | Instagram Videos | FB live | Live streams By 2022, 60% of By 2022, 50% of security global GDP will be alerts will be handled by HOULIN HAO digitised AI automation Secretary-General of the International Telecommunication Union. NOTE: *Data as estimated Source: Article by Houlin Zhao, Secretary General, International Telecommunication Union and World at the end of 2018 Economic Forum Insight Report titled Our Shared Digital Future. 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No part 31 of this publication may be reproduced in whole or in part without written permission from the publisher. 2 3 Cover Story of debate around the future of jobs with the rapid His company is an investor in five Chinese development of AI, and related technological unicorns worth more than US$1 billion while he advances. himself is followed by more than 50 million people The World Economic Forum, in its Future of Jobs on social media, given his vast experience in the ST ILLUSTRATION: ADAM LEE 2018, notes that although 75 million jobs could be world of AI. ‘AI will displace displaced by the coming shift in labour, there will Born in Taiwan, he emigrated to the United States be 133 million new jobs created as well. And while with his family when he was 11. His passion for AI certain jobs are becoming redundant, human skills led him to develop the first speaker-independent remain in demand in other areas. speech recognition system known as Sphinx and routine jobs, but There are two reasons to be optimistic about the earned him his doctorate from the Carnegie Mellon Even more, impact of jobs on AI, writes John Hawksworth, chief University. the biggest economist, PwC, in an online article titled AI And Soon, he was working with leading tech giants, challenge to the Robots Could Create As Many Jobs As They Displace. among them Apple, Microsoft and eventually Google. “Firstly, just because a job has the technical He led Google’s foray into China, becoming Google human race will create new ones too’ potential to be automated does not mean this will China’s president until 2009, when he resigned to not be the loss definitely happen. There is a variety of economic, set up Sinovation and become an investor. of jobs but the CREATIVITY HAS ITS CHARM. “The AI revolution will become the most important political, regulatory and organisational factors that The author of 10 US patents and seven books loss of meaning. The magic of new creations can be intoxicating technology revolution for humanity,” he told The could block or at least significantly delay automation. released his latest book AI Superpowers – China, The work ethic SHEFALI REKHI for those interested, goading them into pursuing Straits Times during a visit to Singapore recently. “Secondly, and more importantly, AI and related Silicon Valley And The New World Order last year, Asia News its possibilities endlessly even if the end goals are “This omni-use technology will disrupt all technologies will also boost economic growth and in which he discusses the future of AI, China’s born out of Network Editor not entirely clear and disruption of conventional industries and create a net increment to our global so create many additional job opportunities, just as increasing role in this phenomenon and the lives the Industrial ways seems a certainty. GDP of between US$13 trillion and US$16 trillion other past waves of technological innovation have that the advance of this phenomenon will encourage Revolution has One such smitten individual is China’s leading (between S$17.7 trillion and US$21.8 trillion) ,” done, from steam engines to computers,” he notes. people to lead. brainwashed artificial intelligence (AI) expert Kai-Fu Lee, 57, who he said. Still, there is agreement that there will be several AI that crunches data to target and deliver better has already spent 38 years working on AI and wants to “For creatives, professionals and leaders, AI will types of workers who will be displaced. – which professional services firm Pricewaterhouse- too many of us do nothing more than letting its full potential unfold. be a great tool that will enhance their work and “This presents a serious worry, as displaced Coopers (PwC) refers to as a form of “smart auto- to believe that He got lured into this field quite by accident – amplify their capabilities,” he said in reply to a routine workers are generally the lowest paid mation” – is a game and a game changer, according work defines when he was still in school, he wrote a program to question on AI’s impact on jobs. and least skilled in any society,” Dr Lee said while to Dr Lee. the meaning of [email protected] print prime numbers. When he returned to check “For people in routine jobs, they need to be aware delivering an address at a conference in Singapore.