I was honoured to be the keynote speaker at Rainbow Centre‘s Learning Day on 27 June 2025. Rainbow Centre is a Singapore charity that supports around 1,400 children and youths with moderate to severe developmental needs – such as autism and multiple disabilities – through early intervention, special education, and family support to help them thrive in inclusive communities.
I spoke about how we can leverage AI and technology to stay ahead of the curve, and bring down barriers in collaboration and communication. A synopsis of my speech:
Even before Gen AI appeared in 2022, we humans were already turning into robots by pushing ourselves to work harder and faster than our bodies could tolerate.
Gen AI then came along to show us that no matter how much we overworked, it could do many tasks faster and better. AI presents new challenges, but when used well, it gives us back our time to focus on being more human and humane.
I showed how I took a photo of a PowerPoint slide I didn’t understand, and then asked ChatGPT to explain it to me. By making difficult things easy to understand (try the prompt “eli5”), Gen AI allows us to communicate better and connect with people more easily. For example, if you are not a technical person, you can now understand all the lingo that your technical colleagues use.
For those who are wary or unsure about Gen AI, just use a little of it every day, and you will soon figure out how to best leverage it.
And yes, while Gen AI is beginning to replace some jobs, it cannot replace the human presence of people who help other people. Gen AI shines a light on the true value of our work and even the meaning of what we do.
Thank you to Sze Wee Tan, Jean Loo, Dr. Jacob Ong Chun Ghee and Andrew Thang for giving me the opportunity to be part of the Learning Day!