Commentary: Young S'poreans are in a situationship with GenAI. PM Wong's NDR was a beige flag.

It's all very innocuous.

A TikTok filter that transforms you into a mermaid or a K-pop idol. A website that turns your dog into a Ghibli-esque character. Getting ChatGPT to polish up your resume or suggest travel tips.

After the initial spectacle and bang, generative AI (GenAI) has more or less settled into our lives — albeit with a touch of unease.

Young Singaporeans use it as a search engine, a cheap form of therapy, or just pure entertainment.

There are fringe segments that argue of its detriments: the vast environmental impact, the threat to jobs and human creativity.

For the majority however, it's easy enough to look the other way.

The GenAI saga

But there are instances where that unease is much more immediate, and hence much harder to ignore.

In June, the Nanyang Technological University (NTU) failed three students for alleged GenAI usage.

This led to an impassioned debate.

Online, students pointed out that the government has long encouraged the embrace of digital technology and thoughtful AI adoption.

For instance, at a recent conference jointly organised by the Institute of Policy Studies (IPS) and the Singapore Business Federation (SBF) on Jul. 29, Prime Minister Lawrence Wong said Singapore must help businesses better harness AI.

In NTU itself, the school admitted that it does not have an overarching approach towards GenAI. Students are generally allowed to use it, but some instructors may disallow the use of GenAI for "specific pedagogical reasons".

One of the students eventually had her zero mark re-evaluated. But much of the confusion remains.

Should young Singaporeans embrace AI, or reject it? Adopt it as part of skills upgrading, or condemn it as an affront to human creativity and free thought?

There's a word that we have for relationships like this, all hazy boundaries and inscrutable definitions. It's called a situationship.

Or, for the millennials reading this: It's complicated.

Establishing boundaries

In tonight's National Day Rally speech, PM Wong dedicated a fair bit of airtime to the AI conversation.

Some of what he said could be seen as a gentle rebuke on the NTU saga.

"The reality is we are living in a digital age," he said, addressing concerns about students' usage of AI.

He also touched on the threat to jobs, but assured workers that Singapore "won't just rush headlong to adopt new technology".

It's a clear signal that the PM recognises that AI is important. But there was room for more clarity.

For instance, while he mentioned the increases in productivity and the potential for higher-paying jobs, he didn't address the debate on the inconsistent messaging among academics in universities.

In such a case, the government could potentially implement some guidelines, letting the civil service lead the way as it often has with thorny issues in the past.

That said, PM Wong did offer some insights into the government's take on AI.

For instance, he emphasised the need to harness technology with human creativity.

He spoke about a lecturer who realised his students were using ChatGPT to improve their essays. Instead of outright banning the usage of ChatGPT, he asked students to critique the AI-generated essays and challenged them to make the essays better.

"That’s the kind of teaching no AI can ever replace," he said.

He further expounded on the human qualities needed in this AI world.

"In this age of AI, what really matters are the human qualities that machines cannot replicate — character, values, empathy and a sense of purpose."

Beige flag

GenAI is of course an immensely complex topic that gets stickier by the day.

ChatGPT just unveiled its 5.0 model. New allegations keep appearing — AI chatbots have been accused of driving teens to suicide, self-harm, or worse. GenAI has been accused of stealing jobs, artwork, and intellectual property.

But this is exactly the kind of shaky situation in which the government could offer some clarity.

The AI debate seems increasingly high-stakes. Some people have called for a boycott of GenAI entirely, in protest of all its alleged trespasses. Others warn of obsoletion.

As it is, the NDR speech came across as a vague response to a difficult question.

Noticeable but neutral, well-intentioned but overly feel-good. A beige flag.

Top image adapted from MDDI