Wealthy nations fear AI, but Singapore embraces it: Here’s why
But Singapore is among a small group of rich countries that bucks the trend.
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Singapore is among a handful of rich countries whose people are optimistic about AI instead of being anxious.
ST PHOTO: LIM YAOHUI
Ask the Americans, Italians or Australians how they feel about artificial intelligence and there’s a good chance that “concerned” is the first thing they will say. Ask Nigerians, Indians or Kenyans the same question, and you’re more likely to hear “excited”.
This represents one of the starkest attitudinal splits in the world today, and it runs counter to what you might expect. The rich world invented AI, funds it and will capture most of its near-term economic upside. And yet it is the rich world that is anxious, while the developing world — poorer, less connected and far from the frontiers of AI development — is comparatively sanguine.
