On 10 July 2024, SMART interdisciplinary research group (IRG) Mens, Manus, and Machina (M3S) hosted the MIT-Singapore AI Symposium, themed, “How AI Empowers People, Institutions and the City in Singapore”, at the Campus for Research Excellence and Technological Enterprise (CREATE).
Graced by eminent guests, including Professor Tan Chorh Chuan, Permanent Secretary, National Research and Development, Prime Minister’s Office, Singapore, the symposium brought together leading academics and industry experts, including professors and researchers from SMART, MIT and other institutes, as well as executives from Changi Airport Group, ST Engineering, AI Singapore, Nvidia AI Tech Centre, Bain & Company, Temasek and Softbank, among others.
SMART M3S Lead Principal Investigator Professor Jinhua Zhao opened the symposium by presenting M3S’s vision for an AI-driven future and outlining the symposium’s agenda. The first panel session, titled “National AI Policies and Strategies,” brought together experts from academia, as well as the public and private sectors, to discuss the current AI policy landscape. They emphasised the urgent need for strong and strategic frameworks to navigate the rapidly changing AI ecosystem and to develop critical AI policies and strategies that align with their specific needs and goals.
The subsequent panel discussions delved into other key technical themes including ‘Physical and Digital Interfaces and AI Foundations’, ‘AI for Human Capital Development and Economic Growth’, ‘Human-machine Dynamics in Task Design and Resource Allocation’, and ‘AI and Entrepreneurship’, where industry experts shared their insights and perspectives on these critical areas. Preceding each panel discussion, M3S researchers also presented research updates from their respective projects, highlighting recent advancements, research outcomes, and future directions.
Professor Tan Chorh Chuan delivered a keynote speech, outlining Singapore’s vision for AI and machine learning, and engaged in a fireside chat with Professor Jinhua Zhao that delved deeper into Singapore’s research and development strategies for AI and machine learning.
During the lunch break, attendees had the opportunity to network and exchange ideas, and explore a poster and demo session, which showcased the M3S research projects and information on their respective research developments. Lianhe Zaobao, Singapore’s largest Chinese-language daily newspaper, featured M3S’ holographic glasses project, in collaboration with Singapore Management University (SMU), in an article. The holographic glasses can be used to command robots and deliver tools from a distance, utilising optical radar technology and deep learning algorithms to analyse human verbal and behavioural commands and then uses point cloud technology to determine the precise location of the target object.
The MIT-Singapore AI Symposium (watch the recorded sessions in the link here) was a resounding success, fostering a vibrant exchange of ideas and connections among industry experts and executives from key institutions. The symposium served as a platform for exploring the transformative impact of AI, automation, and robotics, and ultimately laying the groundwork for the design of inclusive, resilient, and innovative solutions that can empower individuals, institutions, and cities in Singapore and beyond.
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