News Media
Professor Hahn Jungpil from NUS Computing was featured in Lianhe Zaobao on consumer fraud in the digital economy, where he commented on how scams are becoming more targeted and sophisticated, particularly towards older consumers. He noted that while seniors in Singapore tend to have higher scam awareness compared to those in other Asia-Pacific countries, they also face greater financial losses when defrauded due to their accumulated assets and the nature of scams such as impersonation of government officials.
He advised businesses to take proactive steps against online fraud, including monitoring for fake websites and social media accounts, clarifying official communication channels, and collaborating with platforms and authorities to swiftly remove impersonators.
Associate Professor Terence Sim from NUS Computing was featured on Money FM 89.3’s The Big Story (aired 2 July 2025), where he discussed the growing threat of deepfakes and the urgent need to bridge the gap between public confidence and actual ability to detect such content. Citing findings from a recent national cybersecurity survey, Dr Sim noted that while nearly 80% of Singaporeans believed they could identify deepfakes, only 25% were able to do so correctly, highlighting a dangerous overconfidence that could increase vulnerability to scams.
He explained how advancements in generative AI have made deepfakes more convincing and harder to detect using traditional cues like lip-sync mismatches. Emphasising the importance of cyber hygiene, Dr Sim likened deepfake preparedness to pandemic readiness, where education, personal vigilance, and coordinated action are essential. He also shared how NUS Computing has launched community anti-scam workshops to raise awareness and equip the public with practical tools to spot fakes. Dr Sim called for a whole-of-society approach, combining public education, stronger regulation, and platform-level safeguards to counter the evolving landscape of AI-driven threats.
Associate Professor Ben Leong from NUS Computing was featured in GovInsider (4 June 2025), where he shared how the university is using AI to enhance students’ practical, human-centred skills through roleplaying. He introduced ScholAIstic, a GenAI-powered tool developed by the AI Centre for Educational Technologies (AICET), which enables students in fields such as law, nursing, and social work to practise real-world scenarios with AI-generated personas.
By using large language models, ScholAIstic simulates courtroom exchanges or client interactions, providing instant feedback and helping students develop critical workplace skills. Prof Leong stressed the importance of a pedagogy-first approach, applying technology only after understanding instructional needs. The initiative, supported by AI Singapore, aims to make experiential learning scalable and accessible.
Professor Hahn Jungpil from NUS Computing was featured in an interview on ZDnet Korea discussing the global AI race, which he described as a “war of data and capital”. He noted that the United States and China are leading due to their access to vast data and strong investments in computing and AI models.
He highlighted the rise of agentic AI as a key driver of corporate investment but stressed the need for ethical development. Drawing from Singapore’s approach, he advocated for flexible, forward-looking regulations and emphasised the importance of cross-sector communication to balance innovation with governance.
Professor Anthony Tung from NUS Computing was featured on Hello Singapore (12 June 2025), where he shared his views on the growing use of AI-generated romantic companions. He explained that these AI partners gather data from users’ browsing history, social media, and shopping behaviour to simulate engaging and personalised conversations, much like targeted advertisements. By combining this information with extensive knowledge across subjects like finance, psychology, and philosophy, AI companions create the illusion of meaningful, emotionally intelligent interactions.
However, Professor Tung cautioned that these systems merely echo what users want to hear, calling it “见人说人话，见鬼说鬼话”—an algorithmic mimicry rather than genuine understanding. He emphasised the importance of maintaining clear boundaries between virtual and real-world relationships, ensuring users understand that they are interacting with artificial intelligence, not a real person.
Professor Anthony Tung from NUS Computing was featured on Hello Singapore (23 May 2025), sharing his views on AI's transformative potential across industries such as security, aviation, and port operations. He emphasised the importance of talent and resources in driving innovation, noting that the future lies in "using AI to build AI" and unlock real breakthroughs.
The feature coincided with Grab’s launch of its first Artificial Intelligence (AI) Centre of Excellence in Singapore, supported by the Infocomm Media Development Authority. The new centre aims to improve transport efficiency through AI, potentially resulting in shorter wait times and lower fares for commuters.
Now a Systems Analyst at the Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA), Hannah Chia was honoured at the SCS Gala Dinner and Tech Leader Awards on 9 May 2025 for her outstanding contributions and leadership potential in Singapore’s tech sector.
As part of the SG Digital Leadership Accelerator programme, Hannah joins 19 newly appointed digital talents who senior industry leaders across diverse fields such as product management, AI, and quantum computing will mentor. The initiative, launched by IMDA in 2022, has reached over 1,500 professionals to date.
👉 Watch the award video and read the full citation to learn more about Hannah’s achievements.
In a Channel 8 News feature on the rising emotional dependency on AI chatbots, Professor Hahn Jungpil, Provost’s Chair Professor at the NUS School of Computing and Deputy Director (AI Governance) for AI Singapore, highlighted the risks of misinformation posed by increasingly human-like AI.
He explained that generative AI systems are trained on vast online content and can convincingly communicate across diverse topics — but this adaptability also makes them capable of spreading false information or reinforcing users’ beliefs, even when inaccurate.
As emotional reliance on AI grows, Prof Hahn’s remarks underscore the importance of understanding how these technologies operate and their potential psychological and societal implications.
Professor Anthony Tung from the NUS Department of Computer Science was featured on GE Tonight on 29 April at 7PM on Money FM 89.3. The segment explored the role of artificial intelligence in analysing election trends and public sentiment ahead of Singapore’s upcoming General Election.
Together with Nicholas Fang, Managing Director of Black Dot Research, and political commentator Joel Lim, the panel unpacked how AI is being used to track campaign narratives and predict potential outcomes.
AutoCodeRover, an autonomous AI agent platform for software development which is a spin-off technology of the National University of Singapore (NUS), has been acquired by Sonar, a global leader in code quality and code security solutions. This innovative technology was developed by Professor Abhik Roychoudhury and his team from NUS School of Computing (NUS Computing).
The acquisition highlights the real-world impact of NUS’ research with the innovative platform boosting Sonar’s AI-agent-based code development, driving innovation in software engineering and agentic AI. This exciting partnership will also create new research and development (R&D) jobs in Singapore.
NUS Presidential Young Professor Kenji Kawaguchi, from the Department of Computer Science at NUS School of Computing (NUS Computing), has won the Best Paper Award at the prestigious NeurIPS 2024 conference. Held from 10 to 15 December 2024, the event featured global experts in artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning, with the Best Paper Award being a hallmark of excellence for highly impactful papers from leading researchers who are making exceptional contributions to the field of Machine Learning.
Prof Kawaguchi’s paper titled “Stochastic Taylor Derivative Estimator: Efficient Amortization for Arbitrary Differential Operators” (STDE) co-authored with Dr Min Lin (Head of Research at the Sea AI Lab), Mr Zekun Shi (PhD student at NUS Computing), and Mr Zheyuan Hu (PhD student at NUS Computing) addresses a critical challenge in AI and computational mathematics — efficient computation of derivatives for complex systems. The team’s innovative STDE introduces a scalable, efficient, and highly parallisable method to solve high-dimensional problems, significantly reducing computational demand while improving accuracy. In a demonstration of its prowess, the team solved a million-dimensional problem in just eight minutes on a single GPU, a task that would have taken traditional methods weeks.
Prof Kawaguchi and his team’s work on STDE holds vast potential for real-world applications, including simulating entire galaxies, engineering smarter devices, advancing renewable energy, transforming healthcare, revolutionising finance, and accelerating drug discovery.
This accolade marks a proud and significant milestone for NUS Computing, highlighting the School’s leadership in driving impactful and innovative advancements in AI research.
Related News Coverage:
The Laotian Times, 15 Jan 2025
https://laotiantimes.com/2025/01/15/unlocking-the-power-of-high-dimensional-simulations-with-stde
The Manila Times, 15 Jan 2025
https://www.manilatimes.net/2025/01/15/tmt-newswire/pr-newswire/unlocking-the-power-of-high-dimensional-simulations-with-stde/2039036
Thailand Business News, 15 Jan 2025
https://www.thailand-business-news.com/pr-news/unlocking-the-power-of-high-dimensional-simulations-with-stde
S$50m gift from Sea Limited to NUS School of Computing strengthens the University’s commitment to advancing research and developing talent in computing
Innovations in artificial intelligence (AI) and computing at the National University of Singapore (NUS) get a major boost with today's official opening of two state-of-the-art buildings, Sea Building and Sea Connect. Together, the two new buildings provide dynamic and versatile spaces, spanning a total area of 21,570 sqm, to drive NUS’ bold ambitions in cutting-edge research, education, and collaboration, advancing the rapidly evolving fields in computing such as AI and data science.
The naming of the buildings is in honour of the generous S$50 million gift from Sea Limited (Sea) in 2021. The donation, the largest corporate gift received by the NUS School of Computing (NUS Computing) to date, is used to fund scholarships, fellowships, and grants that will enhance the School’s ability to attract talent and pursue advanced research.
Mr Chan Chun Sing, Minister for Education, attended the official opening of Sea Building and Sea Connect as the Guest-of-Honour, together with Professor Tan Eng Chye, NUS President, and Mr Forrest Li, Chairman and CEO, Sea.
Related News Coverage:
Straits Times, 21 January 2025 - NUS Computing expands with new AI degrees, facilities
The New Paper, 21 January 2025 -NUS Computing expands with new AI degrees, facilities
Lianhe Zaobao, 21 January 2025 - 国大两新教学楼揭幕 将新设人工智能学位课程
Lianhe Zaoba0, 21 January 2025 - 国大两新教学楼揭幕 将开办人工智能学位课程
Tamil Murasu, 21 January 2025 -என்யுஎஸ் வழங்கும் புதிய செயற்கை நுண்ணறிவு பட்டக்கல்விப் பாடங்கள்
OpenGov Asia, 22 January 2025 - New NUS Facilities Empower AI Innovation and Research
As companies around the world continue to explore artificial intelligence (AI) solutions, organisations often face several hurdles in successfully adopting AI technologies.
Professor Anthony Tung, AI Lead for Urban Sustainability at the NUS AI Institute in Singapore, and a faculty member in the Department of Computer Science at NUS School of Computing in an exclusive interview with iTnews Asia said these challenges stem from factors such as a lack of AI understanding, limited talent, data constraints, and insufficient computational resources.
Associate Professor Brian Lim from the NUS School of Computing, who led the development of algorithms used to process data collected by Tetris, said: “This creates a chain of interactions that we can subsequently read and decode via algorithms.”
NUS Computing has introduced new courses in AI-related areas, and is also looking into updating the syllabus of existing courses. This is in addition to seeing greater interest for programmes such as artificial intelligence, computing, computer engineering, as well as data science and analytics.
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