Research Fellows, Mr Nicholas Thomas and Dr Wong Kang Li, and Research Associate, Mr Wilson Goh, all from the Institute of Policy Studies, Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy at NUS, shared data confirming this trend, showing a decrease in close friends, a rise in loneliness especially among youths, and dwindling participation in community activities.

To prevent a social recession, the authors called for a proactive effort to build "relational capital" and proposed three suggestions: fostering neighbourly mutual aid through systems like time banks, empowering residents through small, rotating citizens' assemblies to solve local issues, and creating more low-stakes social spaces where strangers can naturally interact.

Read more here.

Professor Jungpil Hahn, Provost’s Chair Professor at the Department of Information Systems and Analytics and Director of NUS Fintech Lab at the School of Computing, echoed the concern but pointed out that Anthropic’s warning lacked helpful guidelines or recommendations going forward.

Prof Hahn highlighted that enforcing the pause would be difficult, and that Anthropic also has vested interest in pushing for the pause. Although Singapore is not at the forefront of AI development, Prof Hanh emphasised that the way we and our regional partners approach AI adoption across education, public administration and professional fields will determine whether we maintain the institutional and human skills needed to engage effectively in AI governance.

Read more here.

Learning was like scaling a peak – you researched, debated, lost your way, meandered, regained your bearings, kept climbing, and finally earned the panorama.

Today, information arrives instantly, packaged in fluent paragraphs, bullet points, and step-by-step solutions. The ascent takes a split second but the struggle is missing.

Clearly, AI has accelerated learning – but has it sharpened critical thinking, or is this precious ability that sets humans apart now at the risk of atrophy?

Spectre of de-skilling

Education is anchored by two enduring pillars: learning and thinking. When we learn something, we imbibe new facts, frameworks, vocabulary, methods, and mental models – in a word, knowledge. But this process of acquiring knowledge is not complete until critical thinking takes place: when we start to question, analyse and challenge what we have learnt, and go on to make new inferences and form new ideas and theories.

Today, both pillars are not progressing in step. AI takes over the heavy lifting of information gathering and transmitting knowledge, but it does not necessarily help us sharpen the faculty that matters most: critical thinking. If anything, it nudges thinking towards atrophy.

Many of us risk treating AI like a GPS for the mind. While it offers the convenience of quick answers, it can dull our ability to build the internal map we need to navigate complex problems when technology is not there to guide us. If we only follow the prompts, we eventually lose our sense of direction.

Research already bears this out. In 2021, a study was carried out to observe the effects of AI use on endoscopists’ skills before and after AI tools were introduced for the detection of precancerous growths during colonoscopy.

Three months after these tools were introduced, when endoscopists performed colonoscopies without the help of AI, there was a 6 percent drop in the detection rate of these precancerous growths, indicating the risk of de-skilling from AI.

Similarly, MIT Media Lab researchers found in 2025 that those who used generative AI to write essays had a weaker sense of ownership over their work, and their electroencephalography tests – which measure the electrical activity of the brain – showed weaker connectivity.

Essentially, fewer parts of the brain were involved or coordinated in producing the essay. Over time, these participants underperformed across neural, linguistic and behavioural measures, raising the same concern of de-skilling.

Apart from “de-skilling”, AI also poses the risk of “never-skilling”, where one fails to even attain fundamental capabilities. Humans learn by asking questions – whether in the incessant “whys” of a child, or as eloquently set forth in the Socratic method still used in classrooms today. Yet AI obviates the need to ask independent questions, to follow through the process of grappling and working through layers of meaning to arrive at understanding.

This is especially the case with the paid, premium versions of AI which are more powerful, and can provide more sophisticated answers and prompts. Ironically, their higher perceived reliability could also lead to automation bias: Students are quicker to accept what they see wholesale, even where there are contradictions, without critically questioning it.

The need for practical guardrails

With AI here to stay, we need practical guardrails rather than walls and fences. An example is the practice of AI-free periods by the National University Health System, during which healthcare professionals do not use AI tools for clinical work or assessments.

Similarly, in the financial sector, the Monetary Authority of Singapore is proposing guidelines on AI risk management for safe and responsible use of AI. Financial institutions need to ensure AI augments, not replaces, human judgment in high-stakes settings. Human experts must review and question AI outputs before any final decisions are made.

This is part of efforts to prevent de-skilling arising from an over-reliance on technology. This is not to say AI is eschewed – AI is already widely used to improve outcomes, efficiency and decision-making in healthcare, finance, legal and many other fields. What is required is a balance that requires careful calibration.

The field of aviation provides an instructive example. Autopilot is common at cruising altitudes, but rarely used for take-off and landing; pilots are required to perform these critical manoeuvres themselves. Besides, aviation regulations mandate pilots to clock a certain number of take-offs and landings before they can fly. This keeps them sharp, well-oiled and in control.

Like pilots, we need to straddle that fine line between automation and the human, between building up our familiarity with AI, and training or working without it.

What does this mean for educators? We must radically rethink our approach to pedagogy, but the true north of education is constant: to establish the foundations of thought. AI should not be a substitute for the basics of learning and thinking, just as calculators did not eliminate the need for mental arithmetic. Pedagogy must drive technology, not the other way round.

Some return to the basics with paper-and-pen exams, viva voce assessments and restricted internet access during high-stakes tests. This pivot away from take-home assessments is not an indictment of technology, but a safeguard to ensure that learning has taken place and essential skills have not withered away.

The challenge persists when students enter the workplace – care will need to be taken to sustain and strengthen their skills throughout professional life, ensuring that practised mastery and critical judgment do not dull over time.

Beyond nurturing competent and confident AI users, we also need to build up thinkers who can lead the technology. This means developing people who understand how to build AI systems, how to steer them and, most importantly, how to question them.

From climatologists leveraging AI to accelerate discovery in global medium-range weather forecasting, to lawyers integrating AI for enhanced legal research and case analysis, to urban planners deploying AI to model sustainable cities, these are not just users of technology. They are also domain AI architects who are shapers and stewards, wielding AI shrewdly to address challenges and solve problems.

Becoming more human with AI

AI, ironically, can help clarify what keeps us true and grounded: The “artificial” sharpens the understanding of the “human”.

Our capacity for complex reasoning, deep analysis, ethical judgement, acting with empathy and sensitivity, as well as meaningful connection – all this is what makes us human, and it is this that we should focus on developing. Used well, AI does not replace our humanity, it amplifies it. We flourish and become more human.

There will be experiments that will fail, lessons we learn, moments of reckoning and “eureka” along the way. If we set our sights high and refuse to settle for the easy path, the potential for what we can achieve can be phenomenal.

Ultimately, our success will not be measured by the sophistication of our tools, but by our ability to nurture the resilience and creativity of our people. If we get it right, we will not just react to the future – we will also shape it.
 

Professor Tan Eng Chye is president of the National University of Singapore.

Source: The Straits Times © SPH Media Limited. Permission required for reproduction.
 

Professor Leo Yee Sin and Professor Alex Cook, who is also Vice Dean (Global Health), both from the Saw Swee Hock School of Public Health at NUS, compared the Andes hantavirus with severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) and Covid-19, and recommended that the approach to SARS would be more suitable to manage the spread of the Andes hantavirus.

Prof Leo and Prof Cook also emphasised the need for improved international coordination to prepare for and respond to unforeseen disease outbreaks.

Read more here.

Associate Professor Bussarawan Teerawichitchainan, who is from the Department of Sociology and Anthropology, Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences at NUS, outlined the challenges of ageing without close kin and highlighted some of the misconceptions of Advanced Care Planning (ACP).

She provided suggestions on how end-of-life planning can be improved to ensure that single and childless seniors will have their healthcare preferences recognised, respected and acted upon.

Read more here.

Professor Khoo Teng Chye from the Department of Architecture under the College of Design and Engineering at NUS, who is also Senior Advisor of NUS Cities, emphasised the need for change, and shared that smarter building designs, innovating the technology of air-conditioning, and changing people’s habits can help us to break out of the vicious cycle and escape the air-conditioning trap.

Read more here.

Assistant Professor Eliza Fong from the Department of Biomedical Engineering under the College of Design and Engineering at NUS, who also holds an appointment with the N.1 Institute for Health at NUS, highlighted the importance of coordinated, cross-disciplinary and sustained efforts in driving widespread adoption of cultured tumour tissue. Researchers from the National Cancer Centre Singapore also shared additional insights.

Read more here.

Since resources and support measures tend to be targeted at seniors living alone, the NUS professors cautioned that these efforts may be misdirected. They further elaborated on the policy implications of their study’s findings and suggested better indicators to uncover disconnected seniors.

Read more here.

Professor Chia Kee Seng, Founding Dean and faculty member at the Saw Swee Hock School of Public Health at NUS, pointed out that the three highs – high blood sugar (diabetes), high blood pressure (hypertension) and high blood lipids, when left unmanaged, can lead to catastrophic diseases like kidney failure. Unfortunately, many Singaporeans have these conditions and are unaware that they do.

Prof Chia recommends how to manage the three highs and identify individuals that are undiagnosed to build a healthier nation.

Read more here.

Professor Teo Yik Ying, NUS Vice President of Global Health and Dean of the Saw Swee Hock School of Public Health at NUS, delineated the dangers of malnutrition such as increased susceptibility to illnesses, loss of muscle mass, and compromised cognitive functions among others, and discussed the intermingling financial, social, medical and cultural factors that are fuelling this trend.

To tackle this problem, Prof Teo underscored the need for practical, affordable and sustainable solutions coordinated across health, social care and community networks.

Read more here.

Although AI chatbots are convenient, often free and could provide helpful advice, Assistant Professor Nur Hani Zainal, Presidential Young Professor in Clinical Psychology at the NUS Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, and the Director of the Optimizing Wellness Lab, highlights a few concerning instances where they do more harm than good.

Asst Prof Zainal outlines the pros and cons of using AI chatbots and emphasises the importance of making them safe and useful, while ensuring that people understand their limits. She proposes a hybrid approach that includes human intervention to maximise the effectiveness of the use of AI chatbots as a therapeutic tool.

Read more here.

Dr Daniel Chan, Assistant Dean (Office of Programmes) at the NUS Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, and Senior Lecturer of French at the NUS Centre for Language Studies, points out that dictionaries not only provide definitions for words, but they also decide which words are officially accepted into the English language. For years, new words have been drawn from UK or US sources, creating a bias that makes Anglo-American words more likely to be recorded and preserved while words spoken elsewhere get forgotten.

Dr Chan astutely noted that beyond what gets included, the way dictionaries define new words can also reshape cultural memory. For instance, when the definitions of controversial terms get neutralised, with their political connotations stripped away, their neutral meanings are cemented in dictionaries while the omitted nuances are gradually lost with time.

Read more here.

Dr Chew cautions that true digital safety goes beyond gatekeeping; social media systems need to be redesigned to ensure that they can respond to failures and hold up under pressure. He added that rather than relying solely on access controls, a safer internet requires platforms to be accountable, and are equipped with robust reporting tools, responsible algorithms, responsive moderation, and interface designs that prioritise user safety and well-being.

Read more here.

While the screen does provide momentary relief from stress, it could distract us from addressing the root cause of stress and may worsen our mental well-being and emotional regulation.  

Acknowledging that cutting back on screen time may feel impossible, Dr Samer Elhajjar, who is a Senior Lecturer at the Department of Marketing at NUS Business School, suggests taking small steps, such as limiting notifications, setting dedicated screen-free time, and engaging in more offline activities to limit screen time. Dr Elhajjar added that curating our digital environment to promote mindful and intentional screen use could help us resist unnecessary screen time and develop healthier digital habits.

Read more here.

Re-categorising obesity as a disease and treating it as a medical condition could help those struggling with the condition to have better support and resource allocation for the necessary treatments.

Adjunct Assistant Professor Kyle Tan from the NUS Saw Swee Hock School of Public Health emphasised that battling obesity goes beyond the individual. It requires a holistic approach at the public health systemic level to shift outdated notions of willpower to a science-backed understanding and ensure the right resources, such as government funding, insurance coverage, and medical support, are in place.

Adj Asst Prof Tan, who is also co-founder and consultant at Novi Health, highlighted the important role of employers, insurers, and governments in creating environments where healthier choices are easier to make through workplace wellness programmes, better urban planning, and ensuring that the latest medical treatments are affordable and accessible.

Read more here.

Until recently, only about a dozen caricatures of Darwin were widely known. The new 165-page online catalogue provides over 100 caricatures, of which 30 are new discoveries. The 740-page catalogues of evolution caricatures are much more numerous, over 1,200, and their range and diversity are staggering, highlighting the widespread public engagement with the topic of evolution.

This huge collection provides deeper insights into the cultural impact of Darwin’s theories. Evolution was used in these illustrations in endlessly surprising ways. Not even experts in this field knew there was this much visual imagery in response to Darwin and his ideas and published in so many parts of the world. Today, it is often overlooked that by the 1870s, thousands of newspapers and magazines around the world featured comic illustrations, including those on Darwin and his theories. Many of the caricatures in this collection curated by Darwin Online were created by some of the best comic writers of their time.

The humour of evolution

Popular ideas, misconceptions, prejudices and older traditions fed into these caricatures which in turn popularised and spread ideas further. For example, one common theme is to make jokes about Darwin's purported claim that humans are descended from monkeys – something he did not in fact believe. Other erroneous but popular themes were the idea that Darwin’s theory of evolution is about inevitable progress or the occurrence of so-called degeneration from humans back into animals. Almost all the caricatures show amused ridicule of evolution rather than deep offence or religious outrage.

Darwin’s works introduced the public to many phrases and concepts such as natural selection, sexual selection or the struggle for existence. The idea of a supposed ‘missing link’, referring to transitional species, became a long-lasting theme. Often much older comic imagery was re-branded into Darwin-themed ones such as transformation cartoons showing the origins or ‘evolution’ of a cat into a violin. Another common theme is monkeys or apes expressing disgust at being related to humans with all their faults. Some caricatures show friends or a married couples looking at a monkey at the zoo ─ the husband eerily resembling the monkey ─ and the joke is that Mrs So-and-so didn’t take Darwinism seriously before, but now she sees there might be something to it after all! 

The controversies over teaching evolution in public schools in the USA in the 1920s saw a veritable explosion of these caricatures with the Scopes Monkey Trial 100 years ago. The collection by Darwin Online is by far the largest collection of these caricatures ever assembled. They are both fascinating and often very funny.

Context of the caricatures explained

The collection of caricatures is dated, identified and often the artist and the historical context or meaning explained. Unlike previous compilations, the Darwin Online collection provides the accompanying poems or articles that were originally alongside the illustrations. Without historical context, it is usually impossible to understand what the caricatures originally meant, and often modern readers imagine a very different meaning.

“This unprecedented collection allows us to see how the public reacted to, used and mis-used evolutionary ideas from the moment Darwin published his seminal work, On the Origin of Species, and over the next 80 years. There is much to be learned from them. They will be useful for teaching and research. For decades, modern publications and documentaries have re-used the same small handful of caricatures. Now anyone can see at a glance just how many and diverse they were. A lot of them are very clever social commentary, and others are simply hugely enjoyable,” said Dr van Wyhe.

The formidable Gobi Desert is the perfect classroom in the wild, a fertile ground for self-discovery and transformation. 

A 121 km trek through its harsh and punishing terrain is nothing short of a herculean task, not least due to the extreme temperatures that drop to lows of minus 6 degrees Celsius at night, then climb to highs of 29 degrees Celsius in the day. This autumnal weather – amid which I and a team of NUS EMBA students and alumni trekked, over four days and three nights – is in fact milder than the other seasons of the mercurial desert, but no less daunting. 

Forget about stopping to smell the roses; we were preoccupied with our survival and crossing the finishing line. We wore shoe covers to prevent sand from causing blisters, changed our socks twice a day to remove any sand that seeped in, and donned compression tights to reduce muscle fatigue. All this while lugging three litres of water on our backs, with the unrelenting sun beating down on us. 

We were finally rewarded with a breathtaking view during the last 5 km of our journey – an oasis in the wilderness. But any sense of reprieve was short-lived, as the shimmering waterhole that captivated us had to be trudged through too. 

The annual Gobi Desert Challenge pays tribute to the fortitude of Xuanzang, a Chinese Buddhist monk who undertook a similar journey to India more than 1,300 years ago. Today, it is a test of endurance and teamwork for top Asian business schools with Chinese Executive MBA programmes, with over 50 institutions participating this year. This was my fifth time embarking on the trek, but it was immensely rewarding and I still learnt new lessons.

The first was the importance of training and preparation. To understand, respect and embrace nature is to not underestimate it. The beauty of the desert lies in its harshness – while there were a few wild animals around, for most of the trek we were surrounded by a beautiful – but unforgiving – landscape of undulating hills, volcanic pebbles, salt beds, and hot desert sand. Even with modern technology and equipment, the journey remained challenging. We gained a profound respect for people of the past who faced these hardships head-on without such resources. 

The second lesson was the value of teamwork, grit and resilience. In the face of nature, we are miniscule against the vast expanse – however accomplished we might be in our professional day jobs. It is not every day that the CEO of Gong Cha Singapore or the Senior Principal of Furen International School are your trekking companions. Kang Puay Seng and Li Wei are veterans in their 60s who have participated in this challenge before, but wanted to prove they still possessed the tenacity to see it through. I could relate to that, as I wanted to test my limits after my partial knee replacement last February.

While completing the trek might have been the main objective, there was a secondary goal: to ensure that all your teammates made it out safely. This required a keen understanding of team dynamics, including identifying those who needed extra support. We always had designated “sweep teams”, made up of more experienced team members whose responsibility was to ensure that no one was left behind. They took on the strenuous task of shuttling between parts of the trek to assist those who were trailing due to blisters or muscle cramps, and to clear the route ahead of any obstacles. Less experienced trekkers were also grouped with stronger teammates, paying homage to the adage that we are only as strong as the weakest link.

Third, and most importantly, the unpredictability of the natural elements, from sudden temperature fluctuations to shifting terrains, mirrors the realities of our world. We live in a volatile, uncertain, complex and ambiguous environment today, and more than ever do we need agility, adaptability and innovation to effectively navigate challenges. 

We may not have to battle a literal sandstorm in our everyday lives, but the same principles apply when it comes to responding to unexpected challenges, be it rapid technological disruptions or environmental crises. 

I believe that skills like situational awareness, teamwork and discipline are best taught and learnt outside the classroom – something our students understand well. In many ways, the Gobi Desert Challenge aligns perfectly with NUS’ commitment to experiential education, which aims to cultivate well-rounded, resilient and culturally sensitive individuals who can thrive not just during but beyond their time at NUS. 

Everywhere is a classroom

Not all students possess the natural drive and determination to learn independently. From the time we enter primary school, learning is dictated by a fixed curriculum. Teachers speak, students listen. 

But experiential learning has sparked a significant shift in mindset. It is learning by doing, not just passively absorbing. Rather than educators mandating what should be learnt, students are given the opportunity to take charge of their own learning by stepping outside the classroom and engaging with real-world problems. It is a matter of triggering their interest. Once that is achieved, people will learn independently, and they will learn deeply. 

Pre-COVID, the Gobi Desert Challenge was compulsory for our EMBA students. Although this requirement has since been lifted, the event has remained an important part of the cultural fabric of the NUS Business School. In fact, the enthusiasm has only ramped up. This year’s contingent is the University’s largest since it first participated in the challenge in 2007, surpassing 100 members for the first time. 

This comes as no surprise. In recent years, experiential learning has become part of the DNA of our MBA programme. It is why students are inducted into the programme through a five-day boot camp called “Launch Your Transformation” which aims to hone crucial leadership skills through a series of activities and discussions.

This approach is not just bespoke to the business school. Spontaneous and self-inspired learning is an institution-wide philosophy. NUSOne, NUS’ latest initiative launched this year, complements our rigorous interdisciplinary education by providing more ground-up avenues to participate in student life and out-of-classroom experiences, encouraging greater self-directed growth among students in a free-ranging and organic way.

For instance, Wednesday afternoons are now mostly free from classes, allowing students to develop their interests outside the classroom, whether it be volunteering or participating in a wide range of co-curricular activities.

This is based on the fundamental belief that student life is an essential part of an education. Our students do not just go out to work; they should be well-rounded, active and responsible global citizens who can make a change in their communities. 

Experiential learning is a necessary facet of higher education, and one that resonates closely with NUS’ mission to educate, inspire and transform. Transformation is a passage for the bold and willing – it can be nudged in the right direction but the motivation must come from within. Our job as institutes of higher learning is to awaken and fuel that motivation. 

Next year, NUS celebrates its 120th anniversary. I have encouraged my EMBA students to convince their entire cohort to participate in the 20th edition of the Gobi Desert Challenge in 2025. As leaders in their own right, their biggest challenge lies in their personal evolution. With my background in mathematics, I cannot help but see the meaning in numbers – 120 years, 121 km, a shot to redefine yourself.

Professor Tan Eng Chye is President of the National University of Singapore and a mathematician.

Currently, Singapore relies heavily on natural gas, which accounts for 95 per cent of its energy needs, highlighting the critical need for diversification into renewable sources. According to the Sustainable Energy Association of Singapore, solar energy has the potential to meet approximately 17 per cent of the nation’s electricity demand. Singapore’s Green Plan is ambitiously targeting a six-fold increase in its solar electricity capacity, aiming to achieve 2 Gigawatt-peak (GWp) of solar electricity by 2030, up from the current 300.3 Megawatt-peak (MWp) in its commitment to addressing climate change, and towards safeguarding the nation’s energy security.

This focus on solar energy is driven by key challenges that include limited land availability for ground-mounted solar photovoltaic (PV) panels and Singapore’s constraints on wind and nuclear energy options, making solar energy a pivotal component of its renewable energy strategy. The growth of solar PV installations in Singapore will be significant, with plans to reach a capacity of 6 GWp through the utilisation of rooftops and floating PV systems.

In our recent study, published in Applied Energy in August 2024, we employed systems thinking and system dynamics (ST&SD) modelling methodology to evaluate Singapore’s aspiring solar energy capacity targets, carbon emission savings, and the overall energy mix.

Understanding energy systems through a system dynamics approach

ST&SD is a methodology designed to understand the holistic behaviour of complex systems over time. It encompasses several key stages/processes: problem structuring, which involves identifying and framing the problem within the system’s context; causal loop modelling, which creates a qualitative model to show feedback loops and causal relationships; dynamic modelling, which develops stock and flow diagrams as quantitative models for formulation and simulation to generate  system behaviour under various scenarios; scenario planning and modelling, which explores different future scenarios and their potential impacts; and implementation and organisational learning, which applies insights from modelling to real-world situations and fosters a culture of continuous learning and adaptation. This methodology is a powerful tool for tackling complex problems by providing a structured approach to understanding and influencing system behaviour over time.

Adopting this systems approach, we considered four main subsystems to include in the model for formulation and quantification, namely installation of PV panels, cost of solar electricity, carbon emission savings, and energy demand. The base model simulations focused on key variables affecting solar electricity capacity, including comparing peak solar capacity with the government’s expected peak capacity, the share of solar electricity in Singapore’s national grid, and net carbon emission savings. Policy simulations and evaluations were conducted by appending the base model with other policy scenarios, such as area and utilisation factors for PV installations, as well as subsidies and panel efficiency. Simulations were performed on these policies individually and in combination to provide a comprehensive analysis of their impacts.

Meeting our solar energy targets ahead of schedule

According to projections by the Solar Energy Research Institute of Singapore, the share of solar energy in the national grid is expected to be between 2 to 6 per cent in 2030 and 3.5 to 8 per cent in 2040, with carbon emission savings of 0.5 to 1.4 million tonnes per annum in 2030 and 0.8 to 2.1 million tonnes per annum in 2040. Our simulations and policy scenarios align with these projections, showing that the share of solar energy could reach 3.9 per cent in 2030 and 5.1 per cent in 2040, with annual net carbon emission savings of 1.1 million tonnes in 2030 and 2 million tonnes in 2040. These results indicate that Singapore is on track to meet its solar capacity target of 2 GWp by 2030, potentially even earlier by 2028.

Based on the results of our study, we recommend for Singapore to aim for an 8 percent share of total electricity generation by 2040 to effectively implement Green Plan policies such as enhanced land use efficiency, subsidies, and improved solar panel efficiency. Additionally, Singapore needs to explore additional alternative energy sources to meet its growing energy demand and net-zero targets while ensuring energy security.

The ST&SD methodology discussed here can complement existing initiatives and policies by various agencies, stakeholders and the government in planning long-term energy security solutions for a land-scarce country like Singapore. These efforts will be crucial for securing an environmentally friendly energy mix and deployment in Singapore’s context.

This study was developed as part of a semester-long undergraduate research project under the UTC2704 Projects in Systems course offered at Residential College 4. In this senior seminar, each student under supervision will apply ST&SD methodologies and skills to simulate and understand complex issues, including those related to energy systems, such as sustainable energy, renewable energy, and carbon emissions.

About the author

Dr Bellam Sreenivasulu is a Senior Lecturer and Resident Fellow at Residential College 4. He teaches systems thinking and system dynamics courses and supervise students in relation to energy systems and related issues on sustainable energy production, energy supply and demand, energy security, and carbon emissions. Dr Bellam is passionate about designing and implementing effective, impactful, interdisciplinary, student‐centred pedagogy to enhance students' critical and systems thinking skills.

Religious communities around the world have been confronted with the advent of digital media platforms, a trend that began even before the COVID-19 pandemic. Since the adoption of these platforms, religious communities are no longer as bound to physical spaces as they used to be. How, then, has the adoption and usage of digital media platforms affected religious community and practice in Singapore? While the COVID-19 pandemic has increased the intensity of digitalisation among religious organisations, digitalisation is not equally distributed across religious activities and organisations.

In our survey of religious organisations – the pilot study of a series of studies conducted in conjunction with the NUS Asia Research Institute (ARI) that explores the evolving relationship between religious communities and digital media in Singapore – we examine and document digitalisation among local religious organisations. Underpinning our survey was the question of whether the COVID-19 pandemic provided the impetus for religious organisations to adopt digital media platforms in Singapore. To this end, we found that the COVID-19 pandemic increased the rate of adoption among religious organisations that had not yet adopted digital media platforms before the pandemic (mainly non-Muslim and non-Christian organisations) while, among those that already began using digital media platforms before the pandemic (mainly Christian and Muslim organisations), usage of digital media platforms increased.

Yet, while religious organisations reported using digital media platforms more in general, certain activities conducted by religious organisations have resisted going online more than others. Based on data gathered on the percentage of activities conducted online compared to offline, we found that synchronous activities (activities that require real-time interaction) were less likely than asynchronous activities (activities that do not require real-time interaction) to undergo digitalisation. Religious organisations reported the most instances of digitalising administrative tasks that did not require synchronous in-person participation. These administrative activities include the internal circulation of announcements, newsletters, and circulars, as well as the collection of offerings and donations and the dissemination of religious materials for self-study. On the other hand, synchronous activities that resisted digitalisation include the conduct of prayers and rituals, as well as meetings (study groups and committee meetings), and community-building activities.

Digitalisation and the blurring of boundaries between public and private spaces

The resistance of synchronous activities to digitalisation is noteworthy as, despite the availability of technology that can and has simulated meetings and worship sessions during the pandemic, respondents still reported conducting these activities mostly offline. While many respondents indicated an intention to further digitalise, it remains to be seen what the focus of their digitalisation efforts will be and which activities will be digitalised more than others. These will allow for a deeper understanding of the pathways through which digitalisation can affect religious community and practice. For instance, some religious organisations reported feeling ambivalent about their experience of digitalisation given how digitalisation has blurred the boundaries between public and private spaces – where anything said or done in private settings could potentially become public due to livestreaming or speech, text, or footage becoming available to unintended audiences.

On the one hand, digital media platforms afford more privacy as they do not have to take place in public spaces. On the other hand, the potentially public nature of online interactions could have far-reaching and long-lasting effects. As sociologist José van Dijck argues in Engineering Sociality in a Culture of Connectivity (2013), social media has “unquestionably altered the nature of private and public communication” (pp. 3-23). With the advent of digital media platforms and the increasing digitalisation of religious services, the lines between public and private spheres are blurring. This blurring of boundaries between private and public has legal implications, an instance of which pertains to what is considered public speech. If all private social interaction potentially reaches a public audience, what can be considered and liable as private or public utterance? More broadly, how has the potentially increased range of audiences afforded by digital media platform adoption changed the way members of religious communities relate to each other? How do the new ways of forming and sustaining relationships in religious communities afforded by technology affect the way religious beliefs are enacted?

Most existing laws pertaining to religious practice apply to religious activities conducted in public spaces as the premise was that religion had to be enacted in public spaces. Our findings suggest that it may still be some time before the changes in religious practice caused by digitalisation are substantial enough for a radical legal overhaul as “core” religious activities – that is, religious activities that set religions apart from each other such as worship activities – are the activities most resistant to digitalisation. In spite of the observed trend towards increased digitalisation, these findings belie a sense of attachment to physical space among religious practitioners in Singapore.

As such, further research should be conducted to understand the reasons why some organisations and activities are resistant to digitalisation. This would help us answer the important question of the role that doctrinal and theological factors play in the adoption or non-adoption of digital media platforms. Such research contributes to our understanding of the limits of digital and technological mediation in replacing real-time, physically-bounded interaction. As sociologist Craig Calhoun ponders in his classic piece, Community Without Propinquity Revisited (1998), what is community without the physical presence of others in the same space? Our results support the idea that the “magic” of physical interaction is still an important factor to consider when thinking about the relationship between religious practice and digitalisation. Perhaps the complexity and, indeed, “warmth” of real-time social interaction cannot be replaced by digitally-mediated interaction – at least not just yet.

By using religion as a case study through which we study the socio-legal effects of digitalisation on religious communities, our study speaks to scholarship on the evolving relationship between digital media and society. These findings regarding digitalisation as experienced by religious organisations bring to mind broader issues pertaining to digitalisation as experienced in society – issues that have to do with how technology is affecting the way we relate to each other as well as the limits of technology in replacing the physical, real-time interaction traditionally associated with community.

Benjamin Low is a Research Associate with the Centre for Asian Legal Studies (CALS) at the NUS Faculty of Law. At CALS, he is currently working on a research project exploring the socio-legal implications of the digitalisation of religion in Singapore that is so new that it has yet to be formally named. A cultural and organisational sociologist specialising in social networks and innovation, he is completing his doctoral studies at the University of Oxford Department of Sociology. A seasoned jazz drummer and National Arts Council Scholarship recipient, he can be found making music in and around Singapore when not (actively) doing research. This piece was written on behalf the CALS-ARI research team which consists of Principal Investigator Associate Professor Jaclyn Neo (CALS), co-Principal Investigator Dr Erica Larson (ARI), and the author. This research project is generously funded by the Humanities and Social Sciences Seed Fund grant.

“If the country has to decarbonise by 2050, we need (to think about) solutions now,” urged Ms Fu as she highlighted four important areas in the decarbonisation drive: policies to create change, new technology, capital, and international collaboration. With Singapore’s carbon emissions still on the rise, urgent action in these areas is required for Singapore to meet its net-zero targets.

Indeed, higher education institutes and multi-disciplinary platforms such as NUS Cities are just some of many vehicles that will help Singapore achieve net-zero, said Professor Khoo Teng Chye, Director of NUS Cities and Practice Professor at the NUS College of Design and Engineering (CDE) in his welcome address. 

“Universities play a very crucial role in undertaking education and research to understand the challenges, to find innovative solutions, and to prepare our next generation for climate adaptation,” he told the 350-strong audience at NUS’ SDE4, Singapore’s first net-zero building that was built from scratch.

The event also saw the launch of a partnership between NUS Cities and CapitaLand Development (CLD) to promote joint research and development activities in the area of sustainable urban planning and design.

Launch of partnership between NUS Cities and CapitaLand Development

NUS Cities’ mission, Prof Khoo said, is to create an open and inclusive platform for education, research, and advisory services. This is necessary to address the complex challenges of today’s urban environments. “With CapitaLand Development being part of our eco-system of public-private partnerships, it will definitely support our core mission especially in the areas of sustainable development.”

The joint areas of cooperation include sustainability-focused awareness and engagement programmes, such as the annual NUS Cities Symposium; sustainable urban solutions that integrate CLD’s development expertise with NUS Cities’ research capabilities; and sustainability expertise and sponsorship efforts to grow capabilities and nurture the next generation of urban planning leaders.

“We are pleased to embark on this collaboration, which leverages CapitaLand Development’s expertise in real estate and sustainable development and NUS Cities’ academic and research prowess,” said Mr Jonathan Yap, CEO, CapitaLand Development (Singapore). “Together, we look forward to enhancing synergies for sustainable development and innovative urban solutions that will contribute to the environmental and social well-being of communities.”

Walking the green talk

With growing population density, and challenges such as climate change and a rapidly ageing society, urban planning is more vital than ever, Prof Khoo noted.

“Built environment professionals are crucial in shaping environments that encourage healthy behaviours such as walking, cycling, and outdoor activities,” he said. “Well-designed spaces and amenities also foster a sense of belonging and community cohesion, and are especially vital for vulnerable groups.”

The public and private sectors are exploring myriad solutions to make spaces greener and more conducive to the health of their occupants, according to panellists at the event.

For instance, the Housing & Development Board’s (HDB) 2020 Green Towns Programme set an ambitious target to cut energy consumption in HDB estates by 15 per cent by 2030.

It is also promoting well-being in various ways, such as introducing intergenerational playgrounds to encourage social interaction and using biophilic design to lower temperatures and bring nature closer to residents.

“We want to see how we can make spaces more conducive for people to exercise naturally,” said HDB’s Deputy Chief Executive (Building), Er Dr Johnny Wong Liang Heng. This is being explored in Health District @ Queenstown – a multi-stakeholder pilot programme led by NUS, the National University Health System, and HDB, and working with other partners to promote residents’ well-being across different stages of their life.

The private sector is keeping pace with these trends too, exploring options such as the adaptive reuse of old buildings and cleaner energy sources like green hydrogen, noted Mr Lee Ang Seng, President of the Singapore Green Building Council.

Since the COVID-19 pandemic, there has been greater awareness of the relationship between public health and the quality of indoor environments, added Mr Lee. Mr Giovanni Cossu, CapitaLand Development’s Head of Sustainability, agreed, pointing to a global demand for “wellness real estate” focusing on physical and psychological health.

Implementation is key

While green initiatives help push the sustainability agenda, it is important to ensure that they are effectively deployed, noted the panel moderator, Professor Lam Khee Poh, Provost’s Chair Professor of Architecture and the Built Environment at NUS CDE.

For instance, in the case of carbon capture, where carbon dioxide emissions are captured and isolated to prevent them from reaching the atmosphere, “investing in the right foundation, technology, and infrastructure is important,” he added.

Understanding public mindsets and needs is crucial too, said Er Dr Wong, who is also HDB’s Chief Science & Technology Officer. He recounted how a pneumatic waste conveyance system for household waste – an underground network of pipes using air suction that is more environmentally friendly – encountered roadblocks when it was piloted at Yuhua estate in 2015.

Unaware that bulkier items such as books and pillows could not be thrown down the chute, residents ended up clogging the chute and causing it to emit a smell. But these pilot projects and experimentation are important.

Government agencies are working together on sustainable policies and practices, said Ms Grace Fu. “We have an inter-ministerial committee on climate change that brings together all the major ministries involved,” she added, noting that the committee regularly reviews if changes are needed.

Meanwhile, the quest to go green continues. “Talk is easy, doing the hard work (is not),” concluded Prof Lam at the end of the panel discussion. “Let us work hard, stay well, and keep each other healthy.”

At the event, NUS Cities also launched The Green Guardians of Singapore booklet, which tells of an environmental crisis wreaked by alien invaders. Written by Ms Yina Chua, Associate Director of NUS Cities, and illustrated by Mr Alan Bay, the booklet was produced with the National Environment Agency (NEA) and Public Hygiene Council and aims to encourage the public to go green.

The illustrated book is hosted on NEA’s Clean and Green website and can be viewed here.

The event featured an esteemed panel of speakers, including Professor Ilona Kickbusch, Founder of the Global Health Centre at the Geneva Graduate Institute, Global Health Advisor to the German Chancellor and the European Union President, as well as senior advisor to the United Nations on Global Health; Dr Margaret Chan, founding Dean of Tsinghua University’s Vanke School of Public Health and Emeritus Director-General of the World Health Organization (WHO); Dr Suwit Wibulpolprasert, Global Health Advisor to the Thai Minister of Public Health and Senior Global Health Leader to ASEAN; and Dr Soumya Swaminathan, Chairperson of M.S. Swaminathan Research Foundation and former WHO Chief Scientist. The dialogue focused on the unique opportunities and challenges facing small countries in the global health arena, particularly in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, shifting geopolitical landscapes, and growing inequalities in health access and outcomes.

Growing importance of small nations like Singapore

In his opening remarks, moderator Professor Teo Yik Ying, Vice President (Global Health) and Dean of the Saw Swee Hock School of Public Health at NUS, emphasised the growing importance of small countries in addressing global health challenges. He highlighted Singapore’s strategic advantages as a small nation with a well-developed healthcare system, advanced technology, and a highly educated population, which positions it to play a key role in shaping global health policies.

"Singapore may be a small state, but we have the resources, technology, and talent to contribute meaningfully to international health developments," Prof Teo stated. “In an era where multilateral cooperation is more important than ever, small nations like Singapore can lead by example, particularly in areas like pandemic preparedness, antimicrobial resistance, and health innovation.”

Prof Kickbusch echoed these sentiments, stressing that small countries have unique opportunities to drive change in global health governance. "The world is facing an unravelling of multilateralism, but small countries like Singapore can still exert significant influence by setting the agenda and leveraging their strengths in diplomacy, innovation, and public health," she said. She pointed out that small nations often play key roles in multilateral institutions like the WHO and the United Nations, where their votes carry the same weight as those of larger countries.

Prof Kickbusch also referenced examples of smaller nations making outsized impacts, including Norway’s long-standing leadership in global health policy and Switzerland’s advocacy for water as a key component of the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). She noted that Singapore, with its strong governance and commitment to health equity, is well-positioned to follow suit.

Meanwhile, Dr Chan further reinforced the idea that "small is beautiful", praising Singapore for its long-term investments in healthcare, education, and transparency, all of which have earned the country a strong international reputation. "Singapore punches above its weight because of its transparency, accountability, and strong social contract between the government and its people," she said. "The country’s strategic focus on long-term planning and innovation makes it a natural leader in the global health landscape."

Challenges of multilateralism and global governance

The discussion also addressed the challenges facing small nations in navigating weakened multilateral systems. The weakening of global governance structures, including the decline of multilateral cooperation, was highlighted as a significant concern in the 21st century. Thailand’s Dr Suwit pointed out that, while multilateral organisations like the WHO offer a platform for small countries to have a voice, the realities of international politics often mean that larger countries dominate the decision-making process.

“Small countries can still make a difference by thinking outside the box and using multilateralism to their advantage,” said Dr Suwit. “Singapore has already demonstrated its capacity to transform itself from a small, resource-poor nation to a global powerhouse. The same innovative thinking can be applied to global health."

He emphasised that small countries should not shy away from global health leadership, even in the face of overwhelming geopolitical forces. Instead, they can use their unique position to challenge traditional power structures and promote equitable health outcomes for all.

Dr Swaminathan also highlighted the need for collaboration among smaller nations to address common challenges such as pandemic preparedness, antimicrobial resistance, and climate change. "Small countries can form regional networks and alliances to amplify their voices on the global stage. By working together, they can tackle issues that larger countries may overlook or deprioritise," she said.

Dr Swaminathan noted that the COVID-19 pandemic underscored the importance of multilateral cooperation and equitable access to health resources. She pointed to the unequal distribution of vaccines during the pandemic as a key example of how larger countries often dominate access to life-saving health technologies, leaving smaller and poorer nations behind. "Singapore and other small countries have the potential to lead the charge for more equitable global health systems by promoting innovation and ensuring that health technologies are accessible to all."

Youth involvement and global health leadership

Another key theme of the dialogue was the critical role of youth in global health leadership. Dr Suwit strongly advocated for greater involvement of young people in global health policymaking, emphasising that they must be given real opportunities to participate in decision-making processes. "Don’t just talk about youth involvement—walk the talk," he said. "Young people have the potential to make a real impact on global health, but they need to be given the platform to do so."

Dr Suwit shared Thailand’s experience of including youth in its delegations to the World Health Assembly, where they had the opportunity to make meaningful contributions to global health discussions. He called on other countries, including Singapore, to follow suit and involve youth in global health governance, both at the national and international levels.

Prof Kickbusch added that youth involvement is essential for the future of global health governance, particularly as the world faces complex challenges that require innovative solutions. "Young people are the future of global health, and their voices must be heard," she said. "We need to empower the next generation of leaders to take on the challenges of tomorrow, from climate change to emerging pandemics."

Technological innovation and ethical considerations

The dialogue also focused on the role of technology in advancing global health, with particular attention to the ethical challenges that come with the rapid development of new health technologies. Dr Swaminathan addressed the importance of ensuring that emerging technologies, such as artificial intelligence (AI) and gene therapy, are developed and implemented responsibly.

"AI-based interventions, gene therapy, and other new technologies have the potential to revolutionise healthcare," Dr Swaminathan said. "But we must ensure that these innovations are used ethically and equitably, and that they benefit all populations, not just those in wealthy nations." She highlighted the need for robust ethical frameworks and regulatory oversight to guide the development and use of these technologies.

Dr Swaminathan also praised Singapore for its progressive approach to health regulation, citing the country’s front-of-pack labelling for high-sugar foods as an example of how policy can drive healthier choices and hold industries accountable. She urged other nations to adopt similar measures to combat non-communicable diseases and promote public health.

Data sharing and global collaboration

The issue of data sharing emerged as a critical point of discussion, particularly in the context of global health research and pandemic preparedness. Dr Chan highlighted the challenges associated with data sharing between countries and the importance of collaboration in addressing global health crises.

“Data is currency in global health," Dr Chan stated. But she cautioned that without trust and cooperation, it is difficult to ensure that data is shared in a way that benefits everyone. Small countries like Singapore can serve as trusted conveners, bringing together researchers, policymakers, and other stakeholders to share data and advance global health research, Dr Chan added.

Dr Chan noted that while there are challenges to data sharing, particularly around patient confidentiality and intellectual property, collaboration is essential to advancing scientific knowledge and preparing for future pandemics. She called on countries to build stronger data-sharing frameworks that prioritise public health and ensure that life-saving information is accessible to all.

Looking ahead: The future of small countries in global health

The dialogue coalesced around the notion that small countries like Singapore have a vital role to play in shaping the future of global health. From setting agendas in multilateral organisations to driving innovation and promoting health equity, small nations have the potential to make a significant impact on the global stage. With their agility, innovation, and commitment to health equity, nations like Singapore are poised to lead the way in tackling the world’s most pressing health challenges.

While Singapore’s global status as an aviation hub is well-cemented, its spacefaring capabilities are more modest. However, it is still home to over 60 space tech firms with over 2000 personnel today. Since 2011, Singapore has launched more than 30 satellites. This year, it was announced that Singapore will be launching a very low-orbit research satellite in 2025, named Elite, built by the Nanyang Technological University that will soar just 250km above the Earth.

The impetus to have a footprint in space began in 2013 when the Economic Development Board established the Office for Space Technology and Industry to spearhead the development of small satellite capabilities and new sensor technologies. By 2020, the office received an expanded mandate to serve as Singapore’s national space office to develop the nation’s space industry, space policy, space talent and workforce as well as to grow international partnerships and strengthen global space governance. In 2022, the Government announced a S$150 million investment in research and development of space capabilities to support critical domains such as aviation, maritime and sustainability, and to create disruptive technologies.

It was against this backdrop that two research centres at the NUS Faculty of Law (EW Barker Centre for Law & Business and the Centre for Technology, Robotics, Artificial Intelligence & the Law), joined forces with McGill’s Institute for Air and Space Law to co-organise a two-day conference titled “New Horizons in Air and Space Law: Treaties, Technologies, and Tomorrow’s Challenges” in early August 2024.

In his keynote speech, Deputy Attorney-General Lionel Yee highlighted the legal frameworks in aviation established by the Convention on International Civil Aviation, and in outer space, established through various multilateral treaties, including the Outer Space Treaty. It was patently clear that the international regulation of space activities was very much underdeveloped compared to aviation.

In the final plenary session of the conference, a panel of industry players and academics were assembled to discuss the landmark paper that I published in the year 2000 in the Yale Journal of International Law titled “Towards a New Regime for the Protection of Outer Space as the Province of All Mankind” which has been widely cited, and is still being cited today. The notion of states sharing a common interest in the exploration and use of outer space has led the international community to declare outer space to be the “province of all mankind” in the 1967 Outer Space Treaty. But most of the scholarship back then was largely preoccupied with the freedom of exploration and use of outer space, and comparatively little on the need to protect it from environmental damage.
 

“At first glance, the issues of pollution in outer space are more complex than environmental pollution on Earth, and may appear to many as far-fetched or too insignificant to merit our attention. However, there are real implications for us living on earth and for human lives.”

In the 50-page article, it was argued that while the precise definition of the “province of all mankind” may be unclear, the very nature of the outer space environment demands special recognition by the international community as a whole – that it must be transmitted in a substantially unimpaired state to future generations. In balancing delicate political and economic interests, the article concluded that the protection of the outer-space environment from pollution would best be achieved by the adoption of a Framework Convention on the Protection of the Space Environment and the establishment of an International Space Agency.

Almost 25 years later, despite more and more articles being published that urge for better international regulatory oversight, none of these proposals have come to fruition. Modest progress, nonetheless, has been made by the United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs, for instance, with the publication of a set of Guidelines for the Long-Term Sustainability of Outer Space Activities of the Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space in 2021.

Presently, the concept of the “common heritage of mankind” (CHM) is understood as a principle of international law that designates certain territorial areas to be elements of the common property of humanity and should be preserved and held in trust for future generations. Such areas include the deep seabed which has been enshrined in the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS). The term CHM appears in the 1979 Moon Treaty which declares that the moon and its resources are CHM; but oddly the phrase “province of all mankind” is used in the earlier 1967 Outer Space Treaty. Till today, there is no settled definition of the CHM principle, and disagreements exist as to its precise content and scope of application. Nevertheless, it has been applied to a range of spaces and resources: Antarctica, the Arctic landscape, geostationary orbit, fisheries and genetic resources.

At first glance, the issues of pollution in outer space are more complex than environmental pollution on Earth, and may appear to many as far-fetched or too insignificant to merit our attention. However, there are real implications for us living on earth and for human lives.

First, the use of nuclear power sources (NPS) in outer space is aimed at providing electric power for spacecraft sub-systems such as altitude control, communications, and command, as well as for the operations of various equipment on board. The interconnectedness of the Earth’s environment and outer space means that any damage or harm to the space environment is likely to have a spillover effect on Earth. Back in 1978, there is already evidence of this when the Cosmos-954, a nuclear-powered satellite, disintegrated upon re-entry, scattering a significant amount of highly radioactive debris across Canadian territory.

Second, man-made space debris or space junk has been an environmental hazard whose seriousness is a shared concern of many scientists and policy-makers in the international community. Most of the trackable objects are located in low-earth-orbit (LEO) with a significant number in geosynchronous orbit (GEO) which is an area of intense space activity. Objects of sizes between 0.01 and 1 cm can cause significant damage upon impact. Objects larger than 1 cm can produce catastrophic effects. If the growth in numbers is permitted to continue without adequate measures to safeguard active space objects from damage caused by explosion, collision, or harmful radiation, it could easily result in serious accidents involving the loss of human lives in manned space vehicles or substantial property damage.

At the conference, it was pointed out in the joint paper by Adrien Schifano and Guo Keyang that the inherent characteristics of outer space makes it an environment that is difficult to regulate despite it being a common area, unlike the deep seabed. In her presentation, Melissa De Zwart focused on how some of the present space programmes regarding establishing a human presence on the Moon, especially by the United States (NASA’s Artemis Program) and China (the Chang’e Project), are giving rise to legal and ethical issues.

Ultimately, as De Zwart commented, there are no neat or easy answers to many of these questions. Applying the CHM framework from other domains or trying to define outer space as “the province of all mankind” as a sui generis regime will not address the geopolitical tensions of the nations currently engaged in outer-space related activities such as the United States, China, Russia, India and Japan. Solutions and compromises will likely have to be worked out between national agencies, commercial organisations and industry players.

About the author

David Tan is a professor at NUS Faculty of Law and co-director of the faculty's Centre for Technology, Robotics, Artificial Intelligence & the Law. He pioneered courses in Entertainment Law, Fashion Law, Freedom of Speech, and Privacy & Data Protection Law. Professor Tan’s works have been published in top international law journals, including Yale Journal of International Law, Harvard Journal of Sports & Entertainment Law, Fordham Intellectual Property and Media & Entertainment Law Journal. An innovative systems-thinker, a passionate teacher, a dedicated researcher and an energetic individual, he is also an accomplished fine art and fashion photographer having held solo exhibitions in association with Cartier and Versace.

“30th got school meh it’s a Sunday leh”

If we asked an average American what this online message means and what they can discern about its author, they would likely be baffled.

But if we asked a local here in Singapore, or someone who has been living here for a while, they would easily identify this as Singlish, and explain that the person communicating is expressing skepticism that there would be school on the 30th because that day is a Sunday. They might make an informed guess that the author is Singaporean, and that they are expressing themselves very casually to someone they are close to, maybe a friend. As for the gender of the author, they might hazard a guess that the writer is more likely to be male, based on the forceful tone conveyed by the message’s wording.

Despite the access we have today to global media and the internet, researchers in linguistics (the study of language) have observed that our language use in ‘digital’ contexts, like social media and SMS communication, remains highly regional, and is quite similar to how we speak in face-to-face-interactions.  In the context of Singapore, this means that Singlish (or, as many linguists call it, ‘Colloquial Singapore English’), our local English that has been shaped over time by varieties of Chinese, Malay, and other local languages, is used by many individuals not only in spoken communication, but also in online written communication.

The rise of digital communication presents exciting opportunities for linguists, and particularly for sociolinguists, who study how language functions in society. For many decades, sociolinguists at NUS have investigated topics related to how language is used in Singapore, including how Singaporeans with different social backgrounds speak and write in various situations.

One of the most significant achievements of linguistics research in Singapore to date is the development of a collection of real texts and conversations in Singapore English within the larger International Corpus of English (ICE), a set of linguistic databases that collects examples of English from around the world. This corpus has helped linguists identify some of the many impacts of other languages on Singlish – for example, NUS Professor Bao Zhiming has used the corpus to examine how the Chinese language has influenced the structure of Singlish sentences that describe conditions and outcomes, such as, “You eat already you can die one.” But the ICE-Singapore corpus was developed over 20 years ago – so, while it is a valuable source of data for how Singapore English was used historically, there is a need to collect newer data to understand how Singaporeans use English today.

My colleague Associate Professor Mie Hiramoto had this need for updated data on Singapore English in mind in 2016 when she developed a concept for a new corpus.  “The idea for the project began as an exercise for my undergraduate module on language contact,” she explained. “I wanted students to work with some simple language data that they had easy access to – so, I thought of asking them to use their existing chat logs from WhatsApp.”

“From a practical perspective, the study of language patterns connects with a number of industry sectors – automatic speech recognition, machine translation, forensic linguistics, speech therapy, and language teaching, among others. In terms of scientific inquiry, the structure of language varieties like Singlish, which arise from contact between multiple languages, can tell us crucial things about how the brain processes information.”

After seeing the wealth of data students were able to collect, Hiramoto realised that this corpus had significant potential beyond the scope of a class exercise. With this in mind, she obtained ethics approval to compile the data for research purposes upon receiving consent from the chat participants. Each year, students in the course were invited to contribute their anonymised WhatsApp messages. Ultimately, Assoc Prof Hiramoto said, “it grew into the corpus we have today, of nearly 10.6 million words.”   

Working with an international team of linguistics researchers, including Professor Jakob Leimgruber at the University of Regensburg, Dr Wilkinson Gonzales at the Chinese University of Hong Kong, Jun Jie Lim at the University of California San Diego, and Mohamed Hafiz at NUS, Assoc Prof Hiramoto processed this large corpus of language data, now titled the Corpus of Singapore English Messages (CoSEM), and in 2022 released it publicly for the benefit of other researchers. The data includes background information about each chat contributor, including their age, gender, ethnicity, and nationality – this sort of information is crucial for sociolinguists, because it allows us to investigate patterns in Singapore English among different social groups.  

What kinds of information can we learn from CoSEM? Let’s return to the intuitions of the local Singaporean above, who felt that the example message was likely from a male author. In 2020, the CoSEM research team released an article investigating patterns in the use of ‘sentence-final particles’, meaning the famous particles such as lah, leh, and meh that are typical of Singlish.

In their analysis, the authors found that many of these particles, including meh, are indeed used significantly more frequently by men in the corpus. Not only this, but there are also major ethnicity-based differences in who uses which particles – for example, Indian Singaporeans use lah more frequently than other groups, while Chinese Singaporeans are the most frequent users of bah, which is one of the only discourse particles that originates from Mandarin (rather than Hokkien or Cantonese).

Using CoSEM data, Hiramoto and the research team were also able to identify usage patterns of new particles entering Singlish, such as sia – these findings underscore that Singlish is not a static variety, but, like all language varieties, continues to evolve over time.

While these patterns are interesting to read about, some might wonder, why do linguists want to study Singlish in the first place? From a practical perspective, the study of language patterns connects with a number of industry sectors – automatic speech recognition, machine translation, forensic linguistics, speech therapy, and language teaching, among others. In terms of scientific inquiry, the structure of language varieties like Singlish, which arise from contact between multiple languages, can tell us crucial things about how the brain processes information. And in the study of public policy, investigating how Singlish has changed over time can help us understand the role of local languages as symbols of national identity.

For all of these reasons, and more, linguists including Assoc Prof Hiramoto and myself in the Department of English, Linguistics and Theatre Studies are passionate about investigating how people use language – even when sending a simple WhatsApp message.

To access CoSEM, please click here.

About the author

Rebecca L. Starr is an Associate Professor of English Language with the Department of English, Linguistics and Theatre Studies at the NUS Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences. A linguist specialising in language variation, change and acquisition in multilingual contexts, she is currently working on the Singapore Multilingual Corpus, which seeks to document the language use patterns of multilingual Singaporeans. She also leads the Voices of Children in Singapore project that investigates how children learn about language variation.

Complementing the study was a survey conducted by the Institute of Policy Studies under the NUS Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy (NUS LKYSPP). The survey shed light on whom the public felt should provide for each of these needs – whether it was the Government, the community, the individuals themselves, their relatives or friends. Associate Professor Terence Ho from NUS LKYSPP shared that the insights from the survey provided ideas on how there is a need to emphasise flexibility and customisation in social support. Assoc Prof Ho elaborated that involving community efforts and private donors can help to provide systematic and predictable support to meet essential needs, complementing rather than replacing government aid to make a collective difference.

Read more here.

Wastewater monitoring, which gained prominence during COVID-19, allows early detection of diseases by analysing sewage, helping to identify hotspots and assess public health interventions. This method provides an effective and non-invasive way to globally track other viruses, such as polio and Zika for community-wide transmission monitoring. Associate Professor Vincent Pang Junxiong at the Duke-NUS Medical School’s Centre for Outbreak Preparedness highlighted that while it can't replace clinical surveillance, wastewater analysis is a vital tool for early outbreak detection and public health strategy, underscoring the need for community support and sustained implementation.

Read more here.

To address discussions on whether vapes are harmful, Associate Professor Ho Han Kiat from the Department of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences at the NUS Faculty of Science provides a toxicological perspective to objectively appraise the health and addictive risks that the hazardous substances in vapes pose. 

Assoc Prof Ho highlights that there is no lack of scientific basis that vapes carry similar hazardous substances as conventional cigarettes; expose users to additional although unvalidated risks; and possess the same ingredients that cause addiction. Whether the public policy to control vaping is within reasonable bounds would be up to the government, businesses and members of the public to examine. He also adds that individual responsibility and accurate knowledge could point us in the right direction to making responsible choices to complement public policy in vaping control.

Read more here.

Associate Professor Terence Ho from the NUS Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy suggests that thoughtful recalibration of competition and collaboration is needed in various aspects of school, work, industry, and politics. He adds that competition should be recognised and even encouraged for the value it can bring — but where it becomes excessive or dysfunctional, it should be dialled back with appropriate.

Read more here.

Associate Professor Siok Kuan Tambyah and PhD candidate Yuen Wei Lun from Department of Marketing at the NUS Business School examined the results of the Quality of Life Survey to understand the different aspects of happiness, from life satisfaction to experiences of enjoyment and achievement. The survey found that money does not necessarily increase positive emotions, but financial satisfaction is positively associated with happiness and other well-being outcomes. The researchers highlighted that investing in meaningful relationships may have a more profound impact on our overall well-being and happiness than chasing after material possessions.

Read more here.

The philosophy of mathematics is an interesting branch of philosophy that studies the assumptions, foundations, and implications of mathematics. One aspect of this is the concept of infinity – its various paradoxes present unique challenges in the philosophy of mathematics, leading to deep inquiries about the nature of numbers, sets, and the universe.

Today, on the International Day of Mathematics, Asst Prof Daniel Waxman from the NUS Department of Philosophy shares with NUS News his thoughts on mathematical imagination and the infinite, and how the imagination plays a significant role in our understanding and justification of certain mathematical concepts.

Paradox at the heart of mathematics

In 1901, the world of mathematics was left reeling by Bertrand Russell's discovery of a paradox at the heart of set theory. Consider – Russell's argument went – the set R of all sets that do not contain themselves. Is R a member of itself?

There is no way to answer this question without contradicting oneself.

The reasoning is as follows: if R is a member of itself, then, by its definition as the set of all sets that do not contain themselves, it is not a member of itself. But if R is not a member of itself, then by analogous reasoning it is a member of itself!

It follows that certain highly appealing mathematical principles governing the existence and behavior of sets – now known as naive set theory – are inconsistent: they allow us to prove claims of the form P and not-P. Inconsistency is an extremely undesirable property for a mathematical theory to possess. If a theory is inconsistent, then using standard logical rules, it can be shown to prove any statement whatsoever, even absurd claims like 0=1.

The inconsistency of naive set theory spurred the development of alternatives. More than a hundred years later, we have a relatively good idea how to formulate versions of set theory that do not rely on the problematic principles used by Russell to derive a contradiction.

Justifying consistency

So the question arises: why do we think that these theories are any better than naive set theory? How can we know that they are in fact consistent? The space of possible answers here is constrained by another landmark result in mathematical logic in the 20th Century: Gödel's Second Incompleteness Theorem.

This result tells us, roughly, that any consistent theory of a certain minimal strength is unable to prove its own consistency. So, any knowledge that our mathematical theories are consistent must either come from a proof within some other mathematical theory, or via non-deductive means altogether.

Using our imagination

In some recent work, I have been exploring one way of implementing the second option: in particular, the possibility that we might get justification in consistency using our imaginative faculties.

In one respect, the idea is simple. We have a faculty of sensory imagination. Imagine a cat leaping at a bird, or Bruce Springsteen playing guitar, or driving on a wet road at night. If you do, you will have experienced an imaginative episode that involves entertaining "mental images" – pictures in the mind's eye, or sounds in the mind's ear. Philosophers have argued for centuries about what imaginative episodes of this kind can justify.

My own view is that, if we are able to clear-headedly imagine a scenario, we can conclude – at least in the absence of any countervailing evidence to the contrary – that whatever holds in the scenario is at least possible. So – if we are able to imagine scenarios in which our mathematical theories hold – then there is at least the prospect of justifying their consistency.

Imagining the infinite

There is, however, a major stumbling block. Virtually any mathematical theory studied today whose consistency is seriously in question is infinite. Think for instance of arithmetic, the theory of the natural numbers. To imagine a scenario in which all of the basic axioms of arithmetic are true, it would have to be populated with infinitely many objects: 0,1,2,3... and so on, indefinitely. But how could we ever possibly imagine an infinite scenario? Surely, given the limitations of our finite human minds, this is out of the question?

In fact, I think it's entirely plausible that we can imagine infinite scenarios. Drawing on some recent work in the cognitive science of perception and imagination, I argue that we ought to regard our imaginative capacities as being inherently dynamic.

Here is a simple example: imagine a perfectly rigid playing-card painted entirely red on one side and entirely green on the other. We can all imagine such an object, I take it. But notice that no single static mental image can display all of the information about the imagined scenario! Any perspective from which we "view" the card will at best capture part of one side.

The lesson is that we ought to think of the content of our imagination as extending beyond a single static image, to include the ways in which scenarios are dynamically developed or elaborated in imagination. But once the dynamic character of imagination is recognised, there is nothing stopping us from considering infinite scenarios!

Try to imagine a number-line, for example, of the kind used to teach school-children the whole numbers. Now consider what happens as you "pan your mental camera right": if you are anything like me, you will extend the line so that, no matter how far you go, you imagine more strokes/numbers than before. While it's true that at any given time you will be "viewing" a finite image, the crucial point is that you will have an additional disposition to extend that finite image even further, going on in the same way, indefinitely, no matter how far you proceed.

So it's reasonable to describe the imagined number line as infinite: not because at any point we have a static image containing infinitely many objects, but because no matter how far rightward our mental camera pans, at no point will the rightward scanning ever lead to the numbers terminating.

Of course, even if everything I have said is right, we have achieved at best some kind of justification in the consistency of arithmetic – an infinite theory, to be sure, but an extremely small and tame infinity by the standards of mathematicians! If I am right, then humans may well have the capacity to – strictly and literally – imagine the infinite. But much interesting work remains in assessing just how far our imaginative capacities are able to take us, and how the foundations of mathematics might be justified.

Daniel Waxman is an Assistant Professor in Philosophy at NUS. He has a PhD in Philosophy from New York University and an MMathPhil from the University of Oxford. Before Singapore, he taught in New York, Oxford, and Hong Kong. In the first semester of AY24/25, he will be teaching a course on the ‘Introduction to Philosophy of Mathematics’.

As part of the Singapore government’s commitment to retaining nurses, Minister for Health Mr Ong Ye Kung announced on 20 February 2024 a new retention scheme, the Award for Nurses’ Grace, Excellence and Loyalty (ANGEL), where nurses will receive up to S$100,000, with payouts every four to six years. This scheme, however, only touches the tip of the iceberg in retaining nurses as it does not solve other prevailing issues that nurses face, such as burnout from long working hours or unsupportive work environments.

Professor Liaw Sok Ying, who is the Head of Department of the Alice Lee Centre for Nursing Studies (NUS Nursing) under the NUS Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine and Associate Professor Zhou Wentao, who is Director of Education, Post-Graduate and Continuing Education and Training at NUS Nursing, highlight that it is vital to provide nurses with a supportive work environment by taking care of their well-being and professional development.

They also emphasised the need to recognise nurses for their roles beyond hygiene care for patients, including being aware of clinical nuances that are a matter of life and death for their patients. Ensuring opportunities for higher education is another way to empower and support nurses to thrive in their careers to ensure a robust domestic nursing workforce for a resilient healthcare system.

Read more here.

Professor Teo Yik Ying, NUS Vice President (Global Health) and Dean of the NUS Saw Swee Hock School of Public Health, suggests that there is a need to address misconceptions about blood donation and provides suggestions such as incorporating the topic of blood donation in the mainstream school curriculum, leveraging social media influencers, and using technological innovations to encourage regular blood donations to overcome this shortage. He emphasises that despite advances in medical science, there is still no substitute for human blood.

Read more here.

NUS Chief People Officer Dr Janson Yap highlights that while AI can perform specific and mundane tasks exceptionally, it is essential to note that AI technologies have limitations, such as the lack of common-sense reasoning and consciousness that humans possess. He emphasises the need to consider ways to uphold ethical standards and consider the societal impacts of employing AI at the workplace while still reaping its benefits. Even as AI technologies advance, adaptation is key, and Dr Yap is confident that there will still be room for humans in the future workplace.

Read more here.

Progress was also made in other areas. New vaccines were approved for malaria, dengue and meningitis, while more than 120 countries signed a declaration to accelerate efforts to protect people’s health from the growing impact of climate change, the WHO’s chief noted in a year-end message.

In Singapore, the Healthier SG initiative was launched, focusing on preventive and holistic care for residents to deter chronic conditions, while the new National Mental Health and Well-being Strategy aims to enable individuals with mental health needs to seek help without stigma.  

Looking to 2024 and beyond, what public health challenges will need to be addressed? What emerging trends could shape the landscape for mental health and well-being, and how can we leverage the potential of digital medicine to improve healthcare? NUS researchers from the Saw Swee Hock School of Public Health (SSHSPH), Department of Biomedical Engineering at the College of Design and Engineering (CDE), Department of Sociology and Anthropology at the NUS Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences (FASS), as well as the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy (LKYSPP) share their insights.

Ageing population, mental health and infectious disease management among Singapore’s health concerns; health equity key to complex global challenges

In 2024, Singapore will continue to face significant public health challenges related to its ageing population, mental health, and ongoing efforts to manage and prepare for infectious disease outbreaks, says Associate Professor Natasha Howard from SSHSPH. Globally, Dr Howard highlights the importance of ensuring equitable vaccine access in underserved regions, mitigating antibiotic resistance, addressing non-communicable diseases, as well as safeguarding public health in the face of climate change.

Singapore’s growing elderly will put increasing pressure on the health system, particularly for age-related illnesses and long-term care, requiring a whole-of-society approach to positive lifestyle management and healthy ageing. Mental health advocacy and support will remain important to address familial and societal stressors or more existential pressures, such as geopolitical events and climate change. Meanwhile, the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic will not only require managing potential variants, but also balancing economic recovery with health safety, supporting global improvements in vaccination equity, and ongoing vigilance to mitigate emerging infectious diseases and potential outbreaks.  

On the global front, health priorities are complex and require concerted efforts from both governments and civil society in healthcare innovation, with a focus on prioritising health equity.

Equitable global vaccine access – particularly against diseases such as COVID-19, measles, and polio – is crucial to save lives and reduce potential epidemics. Mitigating antibiotic resistance requires prudent national usage, robust surveillance and novel treatment research. Addressing non-communicable diseases requires preventive measures beyond the health sector to emphasise structural lifestyle changes (such as reducing the availability of ultra-processed food) and early disease detection. Meanwhile, environmental resilience will necessitate bold national and international policies to mitigate climate change's health impacts.

Role of digital medicine in delivering healthcare through personalised treatments, empowering patients and improving preventive health  

Dr Dean Ho, Provost's Chair Professor and Head of the Department of Biomedical Engineering at CDE, points to the growing applications of digital medicine in healthcare delivery. Drawing upon his work co-developing CURATE.AI, an artificial intelligence platform that provides personalised drug dosage recommendations for chemotherapy patients by studying their responses to a medication regimen, Dr Ho adds that such solutions will also play a vital role in improving population health. 

The field of digital medicine, when aligned with a broader ecosystem of disciplines that collectively understand the intended user, is poised to change the prestige of medicine at scale, sustainably. One example of how we are applying digital medicine to healthcare and health is by harnessing our CURATE.AI platform to use only a patient’s own data to dynamically adjust his or her own cancer drug dosing to optimise treatment outcomes. We are also developing a CURATE.DTx, a digital therapeutics platform that can personalise multi-tasking training for brain cancer patients, with software serving as the treatment. As cognitive decline may be a concern following brain radiation treatment for these patients, the software seeks to personalise training difficulty to optimise the cognitive performance of its users.

Moving forward, digital solutions will also be critical to address population health. At the heart of this challenge is the ability to empower long-term behavioural change in patients, an essential component of realising improved preventive health and treatment outcomes for our community. The field of digital medicine can play a critical role towards achieving this objective through holistic, user-centred innovation. Realising frameworks that drive innovation in this manner will require insights from engineers, clinicians, behavioural and implementing scientists, health economists, and beyond. Empowering these highly diverse stakeholders will ultimately accelerate our community towards actionable solutions that span key domains such as ideation, innovation, validation, implementation, and ultimately, adoption and beyond.

Impact on mental health as Singapore shifts towards smaller household sizes and more people living alone

The rising number of seniors living alone and the growing proportion of one-person households are changing Singapore’s household structures, notes Associate Professor Feng Qiushi of FASS. He adds that these shifts in living arrangements would have a bearing on the social connections and mental well-being of individuals, presenting challenges for Singapore’s mental health landscape in the coming years.

2024 marks the 30th anniversary year for the International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD), based on which the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) were consecutively proposed to guide global development. Almost all issues mentioned by MDGs and SDGs are related to the mental health and well-being of human beings.

Specific to Singapore, it seems timely to pay special attention to the issue of household structure. Among many other countries, Singaporeans are experiencing a rapid transformation towards smaller household sizes, which is changing the dynamics of how Singaporeans are maintaining their family and social connections. Specifically, we may see more older people living without children or spouses, more youth choosing to remain single, and in particular, an increasing number of people living solo among the various age groups.

As living arrangements are indicative of the essential social interactions in daily life and thus a foundational parameter of mental health and well-being, such a demographic change may pose significant challenges to Singapore in the years ahead.

Digital well-being faces risk of rising trust deficit due to generative AI  

The growth of generative AI (artificial intelligence), along with its capacity to be used for producing deepfake videos and misinformation, will make it harder for users to discern the authenticity of content they encounter online. This erosion of trust in online interactions could have adverse effects on digital well-being, says Dr Chew Han Ei, Adjunct Senior Research Fellow at the Institute of Policy Studies, at LKYSPP.

The rise of generative AI, exemplified by tools such as ChatGPT, will exert a profound impact on digital well-being in 2024. While the benefits and opportunities are promising, the risks linked to unchecked development and application of generative AI cast a foreboding shadow over the horizon, posing a significant threat to trust in the digital realm. As an academic, I am deeply concerned about the escalating trust deficit stemming from the darker implications of unregulated AI development.

Generative AI introduces unique challenges that amplify the existing trust deficit in our digital activities. Its ability to produce highly convincing and hyper-personalised content raises concerns about misinformation, deepfakes, and manipulation. The subtle nuances of its language generation capabilities create difficulty for users in distinguishing between authentic and AI-generated content, thereby eroding trust in digital communication channels.

Preserving trust has become a pivotal factor to maintaining digital well-being. Establishing and maintaining digital trust is non-negotiable. Transparent frameworks, stringent security measures, and ethical guidelines must take precedence. Navigating the evolving terrain of technological progress in 2024 demands constant vigilance, ensuring that trust is not compromised in the face of potential pitfalls associated with generative AI.

In the ‘Looking to 2024’ series, our NUS experts weigh in on what readers can expect in the new year.

Dr David Broadstock, Senior Research Fellow and Energy Transition Lead from the NUS Sustainable and Green Finance Institute, shares how Singapore’s push for greener alternative energy solutions such as solar energy and green hydrogen, and recent research breakthroughs that provide cheaper and more efficient options of generating renewable energy, could help drive down energy prices in the time to come.

Read more here.

Professor Simon Chesterman, who is the NUS Vice Provost (Education Innovation), Dean of NUS College and Senior Director of AI Governance at AI Singapore, highlights how governments worldwide face many challenges in laying out regulations to address the harms associated with generative AI while not limiting its potential.

He shares how at NUS, he is working with a team looking at a broader approach called “digital information resilience”, which emphasises the role of consumer behaviour in understanding why people consume fake news and how it affects them, as well as the important role of technology. Prof Chesterman adds that with all the tools and regulations in place, it is still vital as consumers of technology to be discerning and to take responsibility for what we consume and share on the Internet.

Read more here.

Since then, the focus has turned more broadly to generative artificial intelligence (AI) tools that can produce text, images, videos and even computer code based on user inputs through the use of machine-learning algorithms trained on massive datasets.  

The immense potential of generative AI tools such as Bard, Midjourney or Stable Diffusion, however, comes with a host of concerns, including the risk of inaccuracy and misinformation, copyright infringement, potential biases, and job displacement, among other issues.

Underscoring these concerns, 28 countries and the European Union signed the Bletchley Declaration in November to cooperate on AI safety. That same month, the leadership turmoil at OpenAI sparked by the sudden ouster and eventual reinstatement of chief executive Sam Altman stunned the tech world.

So, what new developments can we expect next year? What is the outlook for AI given the fast-evolving regulatory landscape and how will it impact the nature of work and education? Professor David Tan from NUS Law, Professor Hahn Jungpil from the Department of Information Systems and Analytics at NUS Computing and Mr Jonathan Sim, a lecturer with the Department of Philosophy at the NUS Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences cast their eyes on what’s next in AI.

AI to come under more government oversight amid lingering copyright concerns

Amid the rapid pace of developments in AI technologies, a growing number of countries are addressing the need for AI regulation, notes NUS Law’s Prof Tan. Another issue for regulators relates to whether the content produced through these generative AI systems could constitute copyright infringement. Prof Tan, who is also Co-Director of NUS Law’s Centre for Technology, Robotics, Artificial Intelligence and the Law (TRAIL), also weighs in on the shake-up at OpenAI and what it could mean for the future direction of AI.

The use of AI will soon be regulated by the European Union based on their level of risk to human health, safety and fundamental rights. China has also introduced regulations called Deep Synthesis Provisions which came into force in January 2023. Presently in Singapore, the government has yet to consider an omnibus regulation of the use of AI. At a broader level, while the use of AI can bring immense benefits to society, there are multifarious risks such as job displacement, deepfakes and disinformation, invasion of privacy, social manipulation and weaponisation. I hope that the Singapore government will form a study group next year to discuss this issue. Time is of the essence. Surely, we can’t be falling too far behind what the European Union and China are doing in this area.

All the machinations behind the dismissal of Sam Altman, a job offer by Microsoft, and his subsequent reinstatement at OpenAI - the company behind ChatGPT - would have significant implications for all of humanity. Some believe that the direction that OpenAI may be taking in the future will not be the same as its original mission to develop AI that is safe for the world to use. Altman's purported vision of techno-omnipotence is unsettling.

Generative AI can equally inspire awe and concern. At a more parochial level, our lives may have been enriched by generative AI, and our secret dreams of being a writer or artist are now realised with the aid of ChatGPT or Stable Diffusion, but it does not mean that these benefits should not come at a price. Even before a legal framework for ethical and responsible use can be established, the companies behind ChatGPT and other generative AI applications are already facing lawsuits over the unauthorised use of copyrighted works for training data. Of immediate relevance are issues surrounding whether copyright adequately protects writers, photographers and artists whose works have been used in this manner. Copyright is at its core driven by an economic ethos. Copyright exists to reward original creative efforts, and any subsequent uses that draw on and reproduce creative content ought to pay an appropriate fee. Perhaps the best things in life are not for free.”

Greater push for more ‘responsible’ AI as developers seek to improve models

Concerns over the potential of AI to generate inaccurate or harmful content and the rising drumbeat of regulatory scrutiny could push more developers to work on improving their models, says NUS Computing’s Prof Hahn, who is also Deputy Director (AI Governance) at AI Singapore. He notes that aside from enhancing safety, developers will also be incentivised to improve their models to make their products more valuable to users.  

The advent of foundational AI models and generative AI models like LLMs (large language models such as ChatGPT) have created tremendous excitement about how individuals and organisations can leverage technology to create value. That being said, these AI technologies are not perfect; they are still immature – we know that tools such as ChatGPT do not always provide factually accurate information and they can even provide harmful content, including discriminatory content, misinformation or fake news. 

In 2024, I expect that there will be a strong push by developers of these foundation models to improve the quality of AI systems with a special focus on safety, toward making AI "responsible". There is currently a lot of debate globally about AI regulation due to these safety concerns. On the one hand, regulations may be able to limit some of the safety issues, but how to effectively regulate AI is still up for debate. I believe that companies developing AI systems, such as OpenAI, will focus on making the technology safer since creating a better – and safer – system will make them more valuable.

At present, these foundational models were built and trained from almost all data that is publicly accessible on the internet, without too much consideration for the quality. I believe that companies will focus on creating better AI models by carefully curating the training dataset such that the trained models will perform better. 

Skills gap between savvy and non-savvy generative AI users to widen

While ChatGPT’s arrival last year prompted concern over its ability to facilitate cheating and plagiarism within the education sector, educators now face the larger question of how to leverage generative AI tools to transform teaching and learning in a world where AI will increasingly become more prevalent. Mr Sim, who is also an Associate Fellow of the NUS Teaching Academy, says the rise of generative AI will widen the disparity between individuals skilled in exploiting its full capabilities and those less capable of doing so.  

“ChatGPT’s debut in November 2022 has radically changed how students learn. It has become so ubiquitous that many students are now commenting, ‘I cannot imagine university life without ChatGPT.’

Yet, masterful usage does not come naturally. I’ve observed that a minority of users excel at using generative AI collaboratively, amplifying their capabilities as if they were working in a team. The vast majority, however, underutilise generative AI, unaware of its full capabilities. This disparity risks widening the performance gap between those who are adept at using generative AI and those who are not.

If we are committed to ensuring that our students are ready for the future, then we educators must first be ready for the future. We must learn how to master its collaborative potential to enhance our own abilities by embracing a change in mindset: first, to see it more as a consultative tool to enhance our work rather than as an answer generator; and second, to see generative AI’s output as drafts, extracting valuable “nuggets of gold” rather than accepting them wholesale. This approach is not intuitive to most users. It needs to be conditioned over repeated use. By adopting this mindset, we can pave the way for students to use generative AI responsibly and rigorously to enhance their learning.” 

In the ‘Looking to 2024’ series, our NUS experts weigh in on what readers can expect in the new year.

Three recently rediscovered pages from Darwin’s draft of Origin of Species have been published for the first time together with all the other known surviving pages in a new online edition. These documents are added to Darwin Online, a scholarly portal dedicated to Charles Darwin and helmed by Dr John van Wyhe, at the NUS Department of Biological Sciences.

Previously, about 50 draft pages were known to survive. The new edition includes seven pages not found in previous collections, bringing the total to 59 draft pages. All are now freely available in Darwin Online, the most comprehensive scholarly site on a figure in the history of science. This edition includes unprecedented details about each draft page and its history.

“Draft pages from the Origin of Species are some of the rarest and most sought-after documents in the history of science because the book is arguably the most influential work in the history of science and the original draft was discarded. Only a fraction of the pages was later found and then scattered as gifts to collectors or descendants. Only 11 pages are known to be in private hands,” said Dr van Wyhe.

The draft pages make it possible to see in detail how Darwin originally composed and revised many of his arguments and expressions. The drafts also contain many sentences that were never published, offering fascinating insights into Darwin's thinking as he composed the book that quite literally changed the world. 

One of the three recently discovered draft pages was acquired from Darwin’s son Francis in the United Kingdom in 1885 by American lawyer, politician and autograph collector Charles Aldrich who was on a special "mission" to acquire autographs – then a new and addictive hobby for thousands of people. The Origin draft sheet was later given, in 1893, along with the rest of Aldrich's large collection, to the Historical Department of Iowa.

Another draft was a gift from Darwin's daughter, Henrietta Litchfield, to the daughter of American physician Christian A. Herter in 1904. Herter’s daughter, Christine, was also collecting autographs so Henrietta sent her one page of her father’s Origin of species draft. She had met the American family in France the year before.

The other manuscript was purchased by Martin Bodmer at Sotheby's in London on 6 November 1951 for £38. Bodmer was a Swiss bibliophile, scholar and collector who left money to establish and maintain a library to preserve the precious historical manuscripts he had collected from around the world.

An insight to Darwin’s mind

Despite Darwin's difficult-to-read handwriting, all of the drafts in Darwin Online have been transcribed and edited to show where the text appears in the published book so they may be compared.

The surviving drafts total 11,700 words (7.7% of Origin of Species) and contain many sentences that Darwin never published, offering fascinating insights into Darwin's thinking as he composed the Origin of Species. It is a tantalising question; how differently would the theory of evolution have been perceived if he had published the original version of some of these sentences? For example, Darwin wrote in one crossed-out sentence that "An instinct may almost be called a complex trick."

In a famous passage in Origin of Species, Darwin argued that natural selection could gradually transform an animal like a bear into something like a whale. Reviewers mocked and criticised him for this idea, which made him remove the passage from all later editions. This begs the question: What would have happened if he had published this original never-printed paragraph?

“In N. America a bear has been seen swimming for hours with widely open mouth, thus catching the minute crustaceans swimming on the surface. Even in so extreme a case as this, if the supply of minute crustaceans were constant, & there did not in the region exist better adapted competitors, I can see no difficulty in a race of Bears being rendered by natural selection more & more aquatic in habits & structure, with larger & larger mouth, till a creature was produced as monstrous in size & structure as a whale though feeding on prey so minute.”

The rare surviving fragments

After his book was published, the unsentimental Darwin discarded the hundreds of pages of the original handwritten draft of his epoch-making book into the family scrap paper pile. His children used some sheets for drawings and others were torn in half by a son who used the blank back sides for mathematical exercises. In the end, almost all of the draft was destroyed. Near the end of Darwin’s life, when his theory of evolution was so widely accepted and Darwin so famous, there was intense interest in the original draft. Some were rescued from the piles of scrap paper and old notes and, over decades, many were given away as gifts especially by his children after his death. These are now scattered around the world and some have probably been lost forever.

Today, the rough drafts of Darwin’s Origin of Species are some of the most precious and valuable pieces of paper in the history of science, each worth almost a million dollars. The last one to be sold at an auction, in 2018, went for £490,000. Because of its cultural and national significance, the manuscript was placed under an export bar by the UK's Minister for Arts, Heritage and Tourism in the hopes of keeping it in the country.

A graphic of surviving pages in the introduction to the drafts reveals which parts of the manuscript are known (in red) and where there are gaps (in grey):

Almost all of the introduction and first five chapters did not survive, presumably consumed by the Darwin family as scrap paper.

This new edition of the drafts in Darwin Online includes unprecedented details about each sheet and its history. For example, one was donated by Darwin’s daughter Henrietta Litchfield to a Red Cross auction during WWI. It was purchased anonymously by cotton merchant and aviation pioneer Sir Alfred Paton who donated it to his old school, Clifton College. After decades in the college library, it was sold at auction in 1999 for £39,500 to an anonymous buyer “in the Americas” and has never been seen again. Fortunately, it was photocopied by Clifton College and a photograph was printed in the auction catalogue.

“These draft pages are now scattered around the world with the largest number in Cambridge University Library along with most of Darwin's papers. Each draft page has had its own journey and has its own story to tell and we are delighted to share these precious documents with the world on Darwin Online,” said Dr van Wyhe.

Professor Simon Chesterman, who is the NUS Vice Provost (Educational Innovation), Dean of NUS College, and Senior Director of AI Governance at AI Singapore, highlights how there is a need to establish a balance between the rights of creators and the interests of the wider public in distributing and using their works. He adds that when training AI models, approaches like allowing content creators to “opt out” from their data being used and refining AI models with only public domain and licensed data can be considered, to build fair compensation mechanisms for using materials from content creators in AI model training.

Read more here.

This reluctance to seek help or have a suitable avenue to express their emotional pain can lead to dire consequences, with a notable increase in suicide rates among older adults. 

Social isolation, fear of setbacks, low mental health literacy, as well as health and social struggles all heighten older adults’ risk of poor mental health. Assistant Professor Shou Yiyun, who is the Lead Scientist in the Health and Lifestyle Domain at the NUS Institute for the Public Understanding of Risk, Anna Szuecs, who is a Research Fellow from the NUS Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine’s Division of Family Medicine, and Jared Ng, who is a Communications Manager at the NUS Institute for the Public Understanding of Risk, share how Singapore’s national preventive healthcare programme, Healthier SG, can include mental health services to provide older adults with the care they need and deserve. The authors also suggest that educational measures could help the public recognise signs of mental suffering in their older relatives, friends, and neighbours.

As Singapore’s ageing population grows, supporting older adults with mental health challenges becomes increasingly important for society's well-being.

Read more here.

Professor Leonard Lee, Director of NUS’ Lloyd’s Register Foundation Institute for the Public Understanding of Risk from NUS Business School, together with Associate Professor Alberto Salvo, Deputy Head (Research) from the NUS Department of Economics under the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, propose that open-data initiatives and gamification centred on each person’s ‘urban travel carbon score’ could motivate Singaporeans to adopt greener modes of travel, bridging the intention-action gap.

Rich open data on urban travel can be used as part of a policy mix, to help build an urban travel system fit for a sustainable future.

Read more here.

Professor Teo Yik Ying, Dean of the NUS Saw Swee Hock School of Public Health and Vice President (Global Health) at the NUS Office of Global Health, suggests redefining “active ageing” to encompass a lifelong commitment to healthy living, emphasising the importance of starting health-seeking behaviours from young.

Prof Teo highlighted that besides government initiatives like Age Well SG and Healthier SG programmes to promote overall well-being and tackle root causes of ill health among seniors, we also have to address the impact of digital marketing on health literacy in shaping the behaviours of today’s youth towards health. He concluded that fostering healthy habits in youth is essential to achieve active ageing and prevent health issues later in life.

Read more here.

However, two groups of seniors who may face difficulties staying employed: those who suffer from poor health and caregivers, and hence will miss out on these benefits.

Assistant Professor Rahul Malhotra, Deputy Director and Head of Research at the Centre for Ageing Research and Education at Duke-NUS Medical School and Dr Jeremy Lim-Soh, Research Fellow from the same Centre, shares how more support can be given to these two groups. For example, through preventive care strategies like Healthier SG to promote healthy ageing among Singaporeans, and to recognise caregiving as a form of work to provide caregivers with retirement safety nets.

Read more here.

Associate Professor Terence Ho from the NUS Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy shares how the screening of foreign investments is crucial in protecting critical technologies and resources of the country. He discussed how regulators have developed new and broader screening measures to cover more sectors, and what firms can do to address the potential impact on businesses and investments.

Read more here.

Read more here.

Read more here.

In popular outdoor sports competitions, players, fans, and advertisers have to contend with an ambient environment of varying quality that is hard to predict weeks or even days in advance. The environment may deteriorate, for instance, because it is unseasonably hot, or due to the build-up of air pollution from excessive use of fossil fuels that calm winds have failed to clear.

In research published last month, my colleagues Haoming Liu, Jingfeng Lu, and I ask how heat and pollution impact the strategy of professional athletes. These super-achievers are at the top of their game – they are highly skilled, fit, and disciplined. In short, these individuals are adept at the physical, emotional, and strategic aspects of their sport.

To understand the relationship between the environment and the strategy of professional contestants, we looked at Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) tournaments held in Melbourne in the summer, when the weather can get very hot, and in varying cities and seasons in China, with air that can be loaded with particle pollutants.

The 2004-2016 matches we studied are singles, “matching” two opponents. The matched players are often of similar ability, as inferred from betting markets and WTA rankings. As play starts, each competitor has a similar chance of winning and taking the prize money, which makes the confrontation all the more exciting for fans and lucrative for sponsors.

These tennis matches are played as “best of 3” contests. The players fight over three successive sets, each lasting almost one hour. The winner of the match is the player who first wins two sets. So, a third set (“best of 3”) is disputed only if after the second set the playing field remains level, each player having secured one set.

A protracted contest that is fought over three sets, instead of two, can raise the duration of play by over 50 per cent. We hypothesised that players would be less willing to play over three sets, and “get it over in two”, particularly when playing in the heat or in light haze.

An alternative possibility, voiced by a WTA spokesperson, was that a degraded environment would not change the likelihood that players put up a fight over three sets. While heat and pollution might make players more tired, they would be equally tired, so the tightness of the competition might not change.

The intriguing fact we uncover lends weight to the first hypothesis. When the weather is cool and the air is clean, there is a 45 per cent chance that spectators and advertisers are treated to a prolonged competition, in which one player gets ahead but her similarly able opponent fights back and takes the match to a nail-biting third set.

Now add heat or pollution to the picture and the probability that fans and sponsors enjoy a lengthy contest drops precipitously, by about 15 percentage points to 30 per cent.

So an almost 1 in 2 chance of a really exciting spectacle drops to a 1 in 3 chance.

Our interpretation is that sports professionals are calculating individuals, at every turn balancing the expected returns from staying in the game against the cost of exerting effort, including the likelihood they suffer an injury and retire for the season.

A player who is paired against an opponent of similar skill may, for fortuitous reasons, start out by losing the first set. She would then ponder: How much should I fight to try to level the score in the second set and take this encounter to yet a third tough set?

As the environment deteriorates, this calculation shifts even more in favour of the player who starts out winning, a process known as momentum. Her unlucky opponent feels that it is just not worth fighting back as much, only to stay longer in those harsh conditions in an unclear attempt to win the contest.

Therefore, the player who falls behind now volleys the ball back (sponsors and fans would not simply let her walk out) and gets the contest over and done with. Fans, hot-dog sellers, and TV advertisers will have to wait another day for an exciting contest.

We are able to quantify how heat and pollution change the willingness to fight on. For example, raising the temperature from 27 to 37 Celsius reduces a contestant’s expected payoff by US$670. The details can be found in the open-access article here.

What we learn from the tennis court has implications beyond an outdoor sports industry that enjoys a protracted competition. The strategic behaviour applies equally to other competitive ‘tournaments’ where we observe ‘players’ deciding to settle early as the competitive environment – natural, corporate, or regulatory – deteriorates.

Take a corporate office for example. The management often puts job promotion candidates through projects, tasks and challenges that test their ability, akin to a multi-stage competition similar to tennis tournaments. In that situation, difficult working conditions which can be both physical and emotional can blunt candidates’ incentives to fight on and compromise the organisation’s ability to identify the most suited candidate for promotion.  

In tennis, with contestants who by chance fall behind deciding to throw in the towel, the player with the head start wins, but society – tennis fans, sponsors, and TV advertisers – can lose out.

All the more reason to protect our precious environments.

About the author

Alberto Salvo is Associate Professor, Dean’s Chair, and Deputy Head for Research with the Department of Economics at the NUS Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences. He studies how the behaviour and incentives of economic agents, such as households, workers, and firms, interact with scarce environmental resources, such as climate, urban air, and water. Beyond NUS, Assoc Prof Salvo is a co-editor at the Journal of the Association of Environmental and Resource Economists.

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