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SINGAPORE – Professionals in all sectors are encouraged to acquire artificial intelligence (AI) skills and will receive more training opportunities as the authorities develop new courses and career pathways with the tech industry. Tech workers, in particular, should be proficient in generative AI programs – apps that can create text, images, videos, or other content with simple instructions – as this expertise will likely become an essential skill. Generative AI skills will be added to the , said Digital Development and Information Minister Josephine Teo on Aug 22. The framework is a series of guides by the Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA) and SkillsFuture Singapore to help professionals understand the typical roles and skills in the sector.  Beyond the tech sector, more professionals in the advertising and marketing sector will receive training on using AI and digital tools as part of a campaign led by IMDA, which earlier introduced such courses for those in the logistics and finance sectors. Mrs Teo outlined the upskilling plans during the Singapore Computer Society’s (SCS) annual Tech3 Forum, where she said lifelong learning is part of Singapore’s strategy to help professionals keep up with changing technology. “Many thoughtful observers have pointed out that it is not so much AI displacing workers, but AI-proficient workers displacing AI-deficient workers,” she told a hall of more than 500 industry guests.  “This is why we want to support the entire workforce to be more AI-ready, and not just a narrow group of technologists,” said Mrs Teo, who is also Minister-in-charge of Smart Nation and Cybersecurity.  The emphasis on skills upgrading was first outlined in the refreshed National AI Strategy 2.0, which Prime Minister Lawrence Wong This came after a wave of generative AI apps worldwide, including the introduction of OpenAI’s ChatGPT, led to concerns that AI would take over jobs here. Consultations with institutes of higher learning and industry players are under way to update the Skills Framework for ICT. IMDA did not provide a timeline for when the framework will be refreshed, but said it is consulting the industry on the skills recommended, such as the ability to build AI models and apps and use them safely. SkillsFuture aims to attract more trainers by reducing the certification programme from 88.5 hours over three months to 40 hours, making it easier to obtain the qualification to train others. SCS has signed an agreement with the Institute for Adult Learning, in collaboration with IMDA and SkillsFuture, to streamline the certification programme. SCS has also partnered the Association of Advertising and Marketing Singapore and the Singapore Association of Motion Picture Professionals to offer more tech training sessions. The two trade associations are the latest additions to IMDA’s TechSkills Accelerator initiative, joining those from finance, logistics and other fields to equip non-tech professionals with digital skills. “We have started to see more creative professionals use AI to their advantage,” noted Mrs Teo. For example, an advertising firm made a pitch to the Ministry of Digital Development and Information using a storyboard created by image generator Midjourney and other AI tools, she said. “The video made our discussions much more productive... Such a draft would have been too costly to produce without generative AI.”