Skip to main content
A Singapore Government Agency Website How to identify
Official website links end with .gov.sg
Government agencies communicate via .gov.sg websites (e.g. go.gov.sg/open). Trusted websites
Secure websites use HTTPS
Look for a lock () or https:// as an added precaution. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.

Government officials will never ask you to transfer money or disclose bank log-in details over a phone call.

Call the 24/7 ScamShield Helpline at 1799 if you are unsure if something is a scam.

Ministry of Trade and Industry
2. Speeches

Speech by Minister of State Alvin Tan at the Automation SolutionGO! and the Regional Industry Networking Conference 2026

29 July 2026

Introduction

  1. It is my pleasure to join you this morning at the opening of the third edition of Automation SolutionGO! and the Regional Industry Networking Conference.

  2. I would like to thank Singapore Polytechnic and AutomationSG for inviting me. Seeing this event grow from 25 exhibitors and sponsors last year to 35 this year is a testament to the vitality and dynamism of this community.

  3. I reflected on the speeches I gave in the first and second editions. In the first, I spoke about people’s mindset, skillset and behaviour with reference to our Olympians and Paralympians. Last year, I spoke about our swimmers competing in the World Aquatics Championships, and I used an analogy about how we must have a good swimming pool to attract companies, how we must expand the pool and how we must swim well with others.

  4. Yesterday, 16-year-old Amanda Yap clinched silver at the Glasgow Commonwealth Games. It was Singapore’s first Commonwealth Games medal for gymnastics since 2014.

  5. Why do I keep returning to sports as an analogy in an AI and automation conference? It is because sports is distinctively human. You can infuse technology into sports, but you cannot replace an athlete – the hard work, emotions, dreams, successes and failures.

  6. Today, inspired by gymnast Amanda Yap, I will use gymnastics as an analogy. In gymnastics, you need to Launch, Leap, and Land.

Launch

  1. The AutomationSG team launched this conference three years ago with the Singapore Polytechnic team. It took vision, boldness and execution. It is a distinctively human endeavour.

  2. At the national level, we also need vision, boldness and execution. This year, PM Lawrence Wong announced a new National AI Missions under the National AI Council to drive AI-led transformation across key economic sectors.

  3. Advanced Manufacturing was identified as one of four priority sectors. Here, our national vision is to spur broader adoption of AI, build stronger capabilities, establish globally competitive factories, moving beyond data processing into embodied AI that can sense, reason, and act in the physical world.

  4. But while AI can analyze millions of data points and model possibilities, it cannot choose where we should go. Setting direction requires human vision, courage, and purpose. 

Leap

  1. As you launch new initiatives and platforms, like gymnasts, we need to take that leap of faith.

  2. We see this in many of the companies here today. I will cite a few examples:

    1. Aitech Mechatronics implemented automated vision inspection systems to replace manual quality inspection. This halved inspection cycle time from 40 to 20 minutes and improved labour productivity by 75%.

    2. Groundup.ai partnered with Wings Group to roll out 100 triaxial sensors across the production line. This is expected to generate around $60,000 in savings from spare parts stock-up, false alarms, and freed up man-hours.

    3. Movel AI partnered with Amgen Manufacturing Singapore to deploy an autonomous warehouse solution with two autonomous mobile robots, which has saved around 4,000 man-hours each year.

  3. These companies took the leap, innovated and charted a new direction for their businesses. The Government continues to support them as they take this leap.

Land

  1. After you leap, you will also need to land. Even as AI becomes more autonomous on the industrial floor, the need for trust and human integrity becomes even more crucial.

  2. In traditional automation, trust came from predictability: the exact same input produced the exact same output every single time. You land at the same spot.

  3. But AI is fundamentally different because it learns, adapts, and evolves. That adaptability brings incredible power, but it also brings unpredictability. And where there is unpredictability, humans naturally feel risk and hesitation.

  4. An algorithm cannot explain its motives, accept responsibility, or care about human safety. That is why AI cannot build trust on its own.

  5. Trust is not an output calculated by software; trust comes from humans setting clear boundaries, establishing accountability, and as best as humans can, guaranteeing safety.

  6. This is why we are launching AutomationSG’s Trusted Industrial AI Ready (TIA-Ready) Framework today. This industry-led pathway helps businesses assess risks, assign clear human accountability, implement controls, and build real evidence for safe deployment.

  7. I commend our early adopters and pioneers – JM Vistec System and CADVision Systems, both long-term strategic partners to Singapore Polytechnic – for leaping forward to pilot this framework.

  8. To support the rollout of the TIA-Ready Framework, AutomationSG has also developed two types of industrial AI literacy training.

    1. The Tier 1 Industrial AI Literacy training gives workers a foundational understanding of AI risks, data protection and workplace safety. This will be available from October 2026 by Singapore Polytechnic.

    2. The Tier 2 Industrial AI Enablement Lead training is for engineering and project managers, focusing on governance structures, operational risk management and regulatory compliance. This is expected to be ready by January 2027.

  9. Machines provide the capability, but human integrity provides the trust.

  10. To our businesses: Keep working with our Institutes of Higher Learning. Keep pushing the boundaries of what is possible. Use the TIA-Ready framework to sharpen your competitive edge, but remember that the safety and trust you build are direct reflections of your human values.

  11. To our students and jobseekers: The technical skills you learn in automation, IoT, and robotics will open doors to the future. But it is your human curiosity, empathy, and drive that will carry you through them.

Closing

  1. We talked about Launch, Leap and Land.

  2. As I close, I also want to talk about leaving. This is likely my final event as Advisor to AutomationSG as I moved this week from Ministry of Trade and Industry to Ministry of Foreign Affairs following the Cabinet reshuffle. This morning is special and personal to me, having served as Advisor to AutomationSG for six years, when we were still Singapore Industrial Automation Association (SIAA).

  3. We must leave well, leave an impact, leave having built something with people whom you care about and whom you have gone through thick and thin with. This is something which AI cannot do. AI cannot say farewell. It is about human endeavour and human relationships, even in an age of AI and automation.

  4. Thank you very much, and I wish you a wonderful conference.

Back to top