Latest news with #SUTD
Business Times
2 days ago
- Business
- Business Times
SUTD launches new office of AI and Digital Innovation to foster Design AI skills in students
[SINGAPORE] The Singapore University of Technology and Design (SUTD) announced on Tuesday (Jul 1) that it has established a new Office of Artificial Intelligence and Digital Innovation (OAIDI), to make artificial intelligence (AI) a core component of its undergraduate and postgraduate education, research and enterprise efforts. It is the first institute of higher learning in Singapore to set up an OAIDI, as the world's first Design AI university. The new office is a department dedicated to drive curriculum, innovation and talent development specifically through Design AI. It will integrate Design AI principles across all educational levels as well, where every SUTD undergraduate will acquire foundational Design AI skills, while a new second major in Design and AI (DAI) will be offered to students who seek a deeper specialisation. Additionally, the existing minor in DAI will offer students who wish to complement their primary fields of study some flexibility and degree of variation. The OAIDI office will also coordinate university-wide efforts across the strategic priorities of talent development, research, innovation and enterprise, as well as ethical and responsible AI. A NEWSLETTER FOR YOU Friday, 8.30 am Asean Business Business insights centering on South-east Asia's fast-growing economies. Sign Up Sign Up This move builds on a series of steps taken by SUTD to transform the institution into a Design AI-focused powerhouse, as part of its growth strategy upon its pivot to AI in January this year. Earlier in March 2024, the university had launched of SUTD Leap, a multi-year and multi-pronged growth strategy aimed to redesign higher education with a strong focus on design and AI. Led by Associate Provost Professor Tony Quek, who is also head of the Information Systems Technology and Design Pillar, he will report to the Office of the Provost at SUTD on OAIDI's activities and developments. Professor Quek said: 'At OAIDI, we want our students and researchers work alongside AI to solve real-world problems, and not simply look at cutting-edge research. We want our students, postgraduates, and professionals to be comfortable working with AI and thinking about how it can elevate ideas and solutions as part of the team.' Professor Chee Yeow Meng, SUTD Provost and chief academic and innovation officer, said: 'The establishment of OAIDI is a significant step in our ongoing efforts to strengthen AI as a core part of what we do at SUTD.' 'It is about approaching the use AI in a way that treats it as a partner and not just a tool, and preparing our students for the AI world and equipping them with more than just basic ChatGPT skills,' he added. SUTD's Design AI approach is embedded across the curriculum, unlike traditional AI programmes that confine it to a single discipline. Students in all its five programmes – from Architecture and Sustainable Design, Computer Science and Design, DAI, Engineering Systems and Design, and Engineering Product Development – will learn to use AI and gain hands-on experience through integrated coursework and team-based projects. Other Singapore universities and education bodies in recent years have also been developing programmes and holistic spaces to further AI learning in to the city-state's educational landscape. The National Institute of Education (NIE) on May 29 signed a three-year memorandum of understanding with Amazon Web Services to open a new Technology for Education Centre for applied innovation and research in education technology. It will be housed in a new annex building in NIE's campus, and is scheduled open at around the same time as Nanyang Crescent MRT station, which will serve the Nanyang Technological University (NTU) Smart Campus. In February 2024, NTU had also announced that it will begin offering a new interdisciplinary degree programme in AI and ethics to train a cohort of graduates to plug manpower needs in the information digital technology industry. Its curriculum is designed to equip students with essential mathematical and computational skills so that they can develop high-quality AI solutions, while exploring the ethical complexities of AI, including how it can perpetuate inequality, bias and misinformation. The Bachelor of Science in AI and Society programme is a four-year course, and welcomed its first batch of 60 students in August 2024.
CNA
24-06-2025
- Health
- CNA
New framework to use parks, therapeutic landscapes to boost well-being
More people in Singapore are set to get better health benefits from easier access to nature and therapeutic landscapes, under a new National Parks Board framework. This comes amid ongoing efforts to support active ageing and preventive health initiatives nationwide. Professor Khoo Peng Beng, Head of Architecture and Sustainable Design and Professor of Practice at SUTD, discusses the science behind how therapeutic landscapes can be good for one's well-being. He talks about the considerations and challenges when planning for such spaces and if they can exist at places without greenery.
Straits Times
08-06-2025
- Business
- Straits Times
No small feat: 18 graduate from first cohort of 42 Singapore, SUTD's tuition-free coding school
Ms Gan Siow Huang, Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, and Trade and Industry, with SUTD president Phoon Kok Kwang and graduates from the pioneering batch of 42 Singapore. PHOTO: SINGAPORE UNIVERSITY OF TECHNOLOGY AND DESIGN No small feat: 18 graduate from first cohort of 42 Singapore, SUTD's tuition-free coding school SINGAPORE - Completing coding school at 42 Singapore (42 SG) is proving to be a serious challenge. Out of the 190 students in the first cohort who joined the tuition-free programme at the Singapore University of Technology and Design (SUTD), 18 have graduated and 100 have quit. The rest are still enrolled in the programme, which is modelled after the renowned Ecole 42 in France, a pioneering coding school that was founded in 2013. 42 SG offers modules in the fields of coding, computer programming, cyber security and more. There are neither teachers nor structured lessons, and no academic prerequisites are needed to enrol. Costing nothing and open to anyone aged 18 and above, the programme relies on peer learning and offers full hands-on, project-based learning in a gamified environment. Mr Koh Chye Soon, head of 42 SG, told The Straits Times that the high attrition rate is not unexpected. Students leave for various reasons, including job offers secured through networks formed during their time at 42 SG, caregiving duties and family responsibilities, he said. 42 SG students are completely responsible for their own learning, he said, as opposed to having teachers supplying materials and providing guidance. 'Without teachers, there's actually more work to do,' he said. 'It is not a small feat to complete 42 SG.' The 18 graduates completed the common core curriculum, which translates to the first nine levels out of a total of 21. This is the equivalent of a diploma certification. SUTD said those who complete level 9 would have acquired skills for positions such as a junior-level software engineer or network engineer. A level 17 certificate is equivalent to a bachelor's degree, and level 21 is equivalent to a master's degree. One of the 18 graduates from the first cohort is Mr Jeremy Choo, 25. He finished the core curriculum of the 42 SG programme in September 2024. He had previously enrolled in a traditional computer-science degree programme at a private university, but left the course nearly six months in, to focus on his 42 SG projects. Mr Jeremy Choo, valedictorian of the inaugural 42 SG cohort, finished the core curriculum of the 42 SG programme in September 2024. PHOTO: SINGAPORE UNIVERSITY OF TECHNOLOGY AND DESIGN He spent a year on the SUTD campus, for almost 12 hours a day on both weekdays and weekends. 'I genuinely enjoyed being there, so I was there all the time,' he said, adding that apart from coding, he was also learning with his peers and socialising. Through 42 SG, he landed a tech internship at transport giant ComfortDelGro from September 2024 to February 2025. He then applied for a traineeship under Google's Skills Ignition SG programme – a joint training programme run by Google and the Singapore Government – which he secured by listing his 42 SG credentials, among others. The technical skills he gained have come in handy for his year-long traineeship, which ends in April 2026, said Mr Choo. Calling the 42 SG programme unconventional, he said: 'There's such a diversity of people. Like those who had no experience at all, like me. Then there're also others, like software developers in other companies already, who just want to come here to challenge themselves or learn more. 'Instead of being fed notes and listening to tutorials, I felt like it was a more practical approach that suited my learning style.' Though learning without a teacher and relying on teamwork was challenging at first, Mr Choo said he became more resourceful and engaged in his learning. 'I could get a lot more hands-on, and down and dirty with whatever projects I was doing… You figure out how to solve your problems and eventually become more efficient and faster at solving whatever problem comes along,' he added. Mr Choo graduated as valedictorian among his coursemates at a ceremony held at SUTD on May 5. An SUTD spokeswoman said 13 of the 18 graduates have secured jobs or taken up tech roles. SUTD said that, on average, it takes about 18 months to complete the core curriculum if students are in the programme on a full-time basis. Many 42 SG students are juggling the programme and work commitments, she added. Students are not required to complete all nine levels, and can leave any time. Those who wish to rejoin the programme will have to retake the Piscine (French for swimming pool), the second stage in the selection process which tests applicants' determination and desire. Over 26 days, they do basic coding and learn with other 'Pisciners' by completing projects. Since the start of 42 SG in 2023, more than 6,900 applicants have applied across three intakes. Of these, close to 750 passed the first test – a two-hour memory and logic test that does not require any coding knowledge – and have undergone the Piscine. Apart from the first cohort, which had a bumper crop of 190, the student intake sizes in 2024 and 2025 ranged from 100 to 120, said SUTD. A student from 42 SG's second intake, who spoke on condition of anonymity, left the programme in March 2025 after completing just three levels. She had started the 42 SG programme in May 2024. After finding a new job as a software developer at a start-up in October 2024, she took a pause from 42 SG to settle down at work. She decided to leave the coding programme so that she could focus on work. The 42 SG curriculum is 'very intensive', she told The Straits Times, as it can take 70 hours to complete some projects. 'I don't have that intensity or energy resources to juggle too many things at one time. So that's why I decided to focus on performing better in my role as a developer at the start-up,' she said. Still, she sees value in the 42 SG experience and hopes to continue when she is more settled at work, though the thought of having to redo the Piscine and start from scratch at the first level is daunting. 'This is not for the faint-hearted… The curriculum is really meant to break you, but it will make you stronger as well,' she said. Elisha Tushara is a correspondent at The Straits Times, specialising in Singapore's education landscape. Join ST's WhatsApp Channel and get the latest news and must-reads.
Yahoo
31-05-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
The reality of AI's promise to curb older adults' loneliness
Brenda Lam uses an AI chatbot at least once a week. For the 69-year-old retired banker from Singapore, the chatbot brings her peace of mind. 'It motivates me,' says Lam, who communicates with AMI-Go, created by and in partnership with Singapore University of Technology and Design (SUTD) and Lions Befrienders, a social service organization to support older adults. When Lam speaks with the bot, she usually asks questions to get suggestions and ideas for how to enjoy life. 'What can I do to live life to the fullest?' is one of her latest questions. The chatbot responded with tips, including getting exercise outside and picking up a hobby like gardening, reading, or sewing. 'The responses encourage me,' she says. Though she has family and friends close by, Lam says the chatbot is always reliable. 'I feel it's a bit like a replacement if friends are not available to have time with me,' she says. 'When we have the chatbot, it's always there for us.' Lam's situation is not unique. Many older adults are struggling with loneliness, and one in three feel isolated from others, many of whom live alone, have retired, or don't have the same social connections as they once did. According to the University of Michigan's National Poll on Healthy Aging, 37% of older adults have felt a lack of companionship with others. It's a crisis that the former Surgeon General, Dr. Vivek Murthy, warned about from the nation's capital with a 2023 advisory on the epidemic of loneliness and the healing effects of social connection and community. Research shows loneliness increases the risk of heart disease, dementia, and early mortality. It's led researchers and public health experts searching for novel solutions in the community—and digitally. So, are AI chatbots, that could function as friends and pals, going to solve the loneliness crisis for older adults? As we face massive demographic shifts—where the number of Baby Boomers is soon to outnumber young adults—Nancy Berlinger, PhD, a bioethicist at The Hastings Center for Bioethics, who studies aging populations, is in no short supply of work. With the number of adults 65 and older set to more than double by 2040, reaching 80 million, she is grappling with how rapid technological changes will affect this cohort. 'If somebody is living alone and maybe their partner has died, and they could go all day with no one to talk to, would they like to talk with a chatbot, especially a voice one that doesn't require the dexterity of typing on a phone?' Berlinger told Fortune at the National Gerontological Association's Annual Meeting in Novemeber. In a pilot program in New York that began in 2022, nearly 1,000 older adults interacted with ElliQ, an AI chatbot. The vast majority of users reported a decline in their loneliness and improved well-being. The participants interacted with ElliQ for an average of 28 minutes a day, five days a week. 'Their social circle is shrinking. People have died. They probably have stopped driving, so their lives are different,' Berlinger says of older adults today. However, Berlinger still worries about technology as a fix-all for loneliness. 'If we say, all we need are the right AI companions for older people, would that mean that we are saying we don't really have to invest in the social pieces of this?' she says, adding that if caregivers retreat because of the chatbot, the technology is not amplifying a person's well-being. Similar to how studies have shown that social media can exacerbate teens' mental health issues and sense of isolation, and that nothing can replace the connectivity of in-person connection, the same can be said of chatbots for older adults. 'It's not going to replace all of that richness of relationships, but it's not nothing.' She adds, 'I wouldn't say it's a solution to the problem of aging. It's something to keep our eye on.' Lam appreciates the chatbot as a way to ease the burden she feels falls on family and friends. 'I feel that in this world, everything's changing, so we ourselves have to keep up with technology because we cannot rely too much on family members or too much on our friends. Sooner or later, they have to live their own life,' she says. Whether that's the right mindset is yet to be seen. Walter Boot, PhD, professor of psychology in medicine in the Division of Geriatrics and Palliative Medicine and associate director of the Center on Aging and Behavioral Research at Weill Cornell Medicine, says while AI is moving fast, he's not yet convinced that it's a long-term solution for older adults. 'You might see that people feel a little bit better, but whether or not that addresses things like depression and loneliness and perceptions of isolation, I don't think we have really good answers to those questions just yet,' he tells Fortune. 'You feel good because you played with a nice piece of technology, and it was fun and it was engaging for a while, but what happens after three months? The evidence base isn't there yet.' Boot also explains that tech can't replace all of the things humans have done to support older adults. 'There's a danger to thinking that the only problem is that you don't have someone to talk to. When you have people who are visiting your house, they can see your house, they can see your environment, and see that there's something wrong with you. Something might need to be repaired, or maybe the person I'm visiting looks sick, and maybe they need to go to a doctor,' he says. Both Berlinger and Boot want tech to supplement other pieces of in-person interaction and care. Let's say AI can help older adults choose the right health plan or doctor, which Berlinger says can reduce the caregiving burden disproportionately facing daughters. Maybe AI can also help find local activities in the community for older adults to partake in, something Boot is researching with his team. 'If we could reduce the paperwork side of being old and caregiving, and help people to do things they want to do, well, that's great,' Berlinger says, noting that, still, we aren't quite there yet. 'Who's going to be the IT support for that chatbot? I still think it's the family caregiver.' But for Lam, she loves using the chatbot to gather tips and suggestions for how to feel better and more active. And from time to time, she doesn't mind asking it an existential question, too. When asked what burning question Lam has next for her chatbot, she posed one that maybe many of us are considering. 'What can a chatbot do to create a better world for all of us?' Lam says. This article was written with the support of a journalism fellowship from The Gerontological Society of America, The Journalists Network on Generations and The Silver Century Foundation. For more on aging well: Exclusive: Midi Health launches longevity arm to reach the millions of women 'lost to medical care' 3 takeaways from a cardiologist and 'SuperAgers' researcher on how to live longer and healthier Vitamin D supplements may slow down your biological clock, new study finds This story was originally featured on
Yahoo
31-05-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
The reality of AI's promise to curb older adults' loneliness
Brenda Lam uses an AI chatbot at least once a week. For the 69-year-old retired banker from Singapore, the chatbot brings her peace of mind. 'It motivates me,' says Lam, who communicates with AMI-Go, created by and in partnership with Singapore University of Technology and Design (SUTD) and Lions Befrienders, a social service organization to support older adults. When Lam speaks with the bot, she usually asks questions to get suggestions and ideas for how to enjoy life. 'What can I do to live life to the fullest?' is one of her latest questions. The chatbot responded with tips, including getting exercise outside and picking up a hobby like gardening, reading, or sewing. 'The responses encourage me,' she says. Though she has family and friends close by, Lam says the chatbot is always reliable. 'I feel it's a bit like a replacement if friends are not available to have time with me,' she says. 'When we have the chatbot, it's always there for us.' Lam's situation is not unique. Many older adults are struggling with loneliness, and one in three feel isolated from others, many of whom live alone, have retired, or don't have the same social connections as they once did. According to the University of Michigan's National Poll on Healthy Aging, 37% of older adults have felt a lack of companionship with others. It's a crisis that the former Surgeon General, Dr. Vivek Murthy, warned about from the nation's capital with a 2023 advisory on the epidemic of loneliness and the healing effects of social connection and community. Research shows loneliness increases the risk of heart disease, dementia, and early mortality. It's led researchers and public health experts searching for novel solutions in the community—and digitally. So, are AI chatbots, that could function as friends and pals, going to solve the loneliness crisis for older adults? As we face massive demographic shifts—where the number of Baby Boomers is soon to outnumber young adults—Nancy Berlinger, PhD, a bioethicist at The Hastings Center for Bioethics, who studies aging populations, is in no short supply of work. With the number of adults 65 and older set to more than double by 2040, reaching 80 million, she is grappling with how rapid technological changes will affect this cohort. 'If somebody is living alone and maybe their partner has died, and they could go all day with no one to talk to, would they like to talk with a chatbot, especially a voice one that doesn't require the dexterity of typing on a phone?' Berlinger told Fortune at the National Gerontological Association's Annual Meeting in Novemeber. In a pilot program in New York that began in 2022, nearly 1,000 older adults interacted with ElliQ, an AI chatbot. The vast majority of users reported a decline in their loneliness and improved well-being. The participants interacted with ElliQ for an average of 28 minutes a day, five days a week. 'Their social circle is shrinking. People have died. They probably have stopped driving, so their lives are different,' Berlinger says of older adults today. However, Berlinger still worries about technology as a fix-all for loneliness. 'If we say, all we need are the right AI companions for older people, would that mean that we are saying we don't really have to invest in the social pieces of this?' she says, adding that if caregivers retreat because of the chatbot, the technology is not amplifying a person's well-being. Similar to how studies have shown that social media can exacerbate teens' mental health issues and sense of isolation, and that nothing can replace the connectivity of in-person connection, the same can be said of chatbots for older adults. 'It's not going to replace all of that richness of relationships, but it's not nothing.' She adds, 'I wouldn't say it's a solution to the problem of aging. It's something to keep our eye on.' Lam appreciates the chatbot as a way to ease the burden she feels falls on family and friends. 'I feel that in this world, everything's changing, so we ourselves have to keep up with technology because we cannot rely too much on family members or too much on our friends. Sooner or later, they have to live their own life,' she says. Whether that's the right mindset is yet to be seen. Walter Boot, PhD, professor of psychology in medicine in the Division of Geriatrics and Palliative Medicine and associate director of the Center on Aging and Behavioral Research at Weill Cornell Medicine, says while AI is moving fast, he's not yet convinced that it's a long-term solution for older adults. 'You might see that people feel a little bit better, but whether or not that addresses things like depression and loneliness and perceptions of isolation, I don't think we have really good answers to those questions just yet,' he tells Fortune. 'You feel good because you played with a nice piece of technology, and it was fun and it was engaging for a while, but what happens after three months? The evidence base isn't there yet.' Boot also explains that tech can't replace all of the things humans have done to support older adults. 'There's a danger to thinking that the only problem is that you don't have someone to talk to. When you have people who are visiting your house, they can see your house, they can see your environment, and see that there's something wrong with you. Something might need to be repaired, or maybe the person I'm visiting looks sick, and maybe they need to go to a doctor,' he says. Both Berlinger and Boot want tech to supplement other pieces of in-person interaction and care. Let's say AI can help older adults choose the right health plan or doctor, which Berlinger says can reduce the caregiving burden disproportionately facing daughters. Maybe AI can also help find local activities in the community for older adults to partake in, something Boot is researching with his team. 'If we could reduce the paperwork side of being old and caregiving, and help people to do things they want to do, well, that's great,' Berlinger says, noting that, still, we aren't quite there yet. 'Who's going to be the IT support for that chatbot? I still think it's the family caregiver.' But for Lam, she loves using the chatbot to gather tips and suggestions for how to feel better and more active. And from time to time, she doesn't mind asking it an existential question, too. When asked what burning question Lam has next for her chatbot, she posed one that maybe many of us are considering. 'What can a chatbot do to create a better world for all of us?' Lam says. This article was written with the support of a journalism fellowship from The Gerontological Society of America, The Journalists Network on Generations and The Silver Century Foundation. For more on aging well: Exclusive: Midi Health launches longevity arm to reach the millions of women 'lost to medical care' 3 takeaways from a cardiologist and 'SuperAgers' researcher on how to live longer and healthier Vitamin D supplements may slow down your biological clock, new study finds This story was originally featured on
