Filtered by: School of Computing
Professor Anthony Tung from the Department of Computer Science was featured on CNA's Singapore Tonight live segment, speaking on the AI bubble emerging in manufacturing and the broader cost of deployment without accountability.
Prof Tung identified three patterns of waste in current AI deployment: near-identical foundation models competing within narrow benchmark margins; AI-for-science programmes built on survivorship bias; and AI assistants handed to individual employees for tasks that never aggregate into organisational value.
The root cause, he said, is the absence of AI Deployment Science – a discipline for evaluating return on investment before resources are committed. Without it, capital follows fashion.
"A company of 10,000 people asking the same question 10,000 times is not a learning organisation. It is a forgetting one."
He proposed AI Prudence as the remedy: before every deployment, ask where the value is, how it will be measured, and whether an existing capability could already do it better.
CNA, Singapore Tonight (26 May 2026)
Associate Professor Harold Soh from the Department of Computer Science was quoted in South China Morning Post on Singapore's push to become a global leader in physical AI – robots and autonomous systems designed to operate in real-world urban environments.
Prof Soh noted that Singapore's institutional strength, technical talent, and track record in deploying technology in complex urban settings give it a credible edge in this space. "Singapore is already a trusted international hub, with strong institutions, concentrated technical talent, and experience deploying technology in complex urban environments.
The article. published ahead of ATxSummit 2026, examines Singapore's ambitions to position itself as a living lab for physical AI – from cleaning and delivery robots at Punggol Digital District to longer-term deployment in healthcare, logistics, and manufacturing.
SCMP (22 May 2026) - "Robots at Singapore's AI Zone to Clean, Patrol and Deliver Goods"
In a Straits Times feature on Singapore's national AI strategy, Professor Jungpil Hahn, Provost's Chair Professor at NUS School of Computing highlighted a key concern amid the excitement over AI adoption: the potential for deskilling.
Referring to a study published in The Lancet Gastroenterology and Hepatology in August 2025, Prof Hahn observed that clinicians who frequently depended on AI to detect pre-cancerous lesions gradually lost their ability to identify these growths on their own. This issue goes beyond healthcare, highlighting how professionals in any field might, over time, diminish the very skills AI was designed to enhance.
He suggested setting aside intentional AI-free intervals. "Having explicit days or periods where you know you have to do the task without AI actually forces the institutions, companies or organisations to maintain that capability level," he explained. He also urged organisations to monitor employees' abilities before and after adopting AI – not to restrict the technology, but to make sure human judgment stays sharp.
According to Prof Hahn, the real issue isn’t whether to adopt AI, but how to do so without sacrificing what no algorithm can ever replace.
