Technology changes everything eventually and has always shaped how we work. The difference today is the speed at which that change is unfolding. Advances in AI are accelerating the world of work at a speed most organisations and individuals are currently struggling to grasp.
In Singapore, headlines often focus on the threat of the elimination of roles and concerns that younger generations will struggle to enter the labour market, yet far less attention is paid to the incredible opportunity for progress.
I’ve been in business for five decades, just over half of which have been in an analogue world. I remember the advent of email over 20 years ago. In most instances, companies that were deeply sceptical and hung on to the old and familiar didn’t survive the transition. Progress moved on without them.
Today, we are at a similar inflection point. AI is already driving significant productivity gains, opening up entirely new career paths, and challenging the status quo. As Professor Ho Teck Hua, President of NTU and Executive Chairman of AI Singapore, suggests, widespread adoption of AI assistants could double Singapore’s productivity growth to 5%.
AI marks the start of better work
Increasingly, it is younger employees teaching older colleagues how to use the tools that are redefining modern work. Recent research from International Workplace Group finds that Gen Z employees are playing a pivotal role in driving AI adoption across the workforce, with nearly two-thirds of younger workers actively helping older colleagues learn and use AI tools, from hands-on coaching to practical tips that embed AI into everyday workflows. This reverse mentoring is unlocking real gains in productivity and collaboration.
Yet despite this progress, anxiety dominates much of the conversation. Recent research by ManpowerGroup indicates that Singaporeans are concerned about AI-related job loss. Over half (58%) of local workers fear they could lose their jobs to automation in the next two years. There seems to be a growing fear that entry-level jobs are being automated away, leaving young people without the stepping stones they need to progress into senior roles. While that reality makes some people nervous, we live in a world where AI creates a wealth of new roles and opportunities.
AI-enhanced learning is accelerating learning in ways we’ve never seen before, allowing young people to move up the learning curve faster than previous generations. The chairs are going to move around, and while there could be a small decrease in employment, the reality is that jobs are going to change. Young people will have to be much more focused on what their entry point will be if they’re coming into the job market in one, two, three, or five years’ time.
Fortunately, they do not have to navigate this shift alone. The Singapore government is proactively reviewing policies to ensure the local workforce remains competitive amid rapid technological change driven by AI. Central to these efforts is a focus on building AI literacy and fluency so that workers are comfortable and confident using new technology to drive productivity. Complementing this, the Ministry of Education’s EdTech Masterplan 2030 outlines a structured approach to embedding AI meaningfully into teaching and learning, ensuring the future workforce is able to navigate an AI-enabled workplace confidently.
Moore’s Law and exponential progress
To understand what’s happening now, it’s worth looking back. In the early 1970s, Intel released the 4004, the world’s first commercial microprocessor. Soon after, Intel co-founder Gordon Moore noticed something curious: The number of transistors on a chip seemed to double roughly every two years. Moore didn’t intend this as a marketing slogan, but it captured something profound: Progress followed an exponential curve rather than a linear one.
That observation became known as Moore’s Law. The message was simple and powerful: Waiting two years delivers a dramatic leap forward rather than a modest upgrade.
The velocity of business
This is the mistake we’re making with AI today. We’re treating it like a modest efficiency tool, when in reality it’s part of an exponential curve, the most significant shift in work and efficiency I’ve seen since starting Regus in 1989. Exponential change doesn’t just tweak jobs; it changes the velocity of business itself.
This is not a new phenomenon; it occurs with every big technological change. With the advent of email, many respectable companies insisted they would never adopt it because they didn’t trust it. They said the postal service had worked for centuries, so why change? But email was progress. Once email, smartphones, and the internet were used properly, business sped up massively.
The same is true with AI. The assumption many people are making is that business will continue moving at the same pace, just with fewer people, which isn’t necessarily true. When individuals can do ten or twenty times more work in a day, organisations don’t stand still but rather expand what’s possible. By removing drudgery and creating massive efficiencies, AI frees people to do what humans do best: think creatively, solve problems, and come up with new ideas.
Jobs are inevitably going to change. There may be fewer of them in certain categories, and entry points into the workforce will look different. For young people, this means being more intentional about where and how they start their careers. Developing new skills will be key to demonstrating their value, and those who are quick to adapt to change will move faster than everyone else.
In an AI-world, self-starters win
One of the qualities companies are looking for in future talent is their ability to use AI effectively, recognising how this can accelerate a business’s potential. In fact, demand for AI-related capabilities has more than doubled in Singapore since 2022, meaning that people who already have a subscription to an AI tool and are actively learning how to leverage it today are at an advantage. They can bring new skills, energy, and innovation to rapidly expanding businesses, driving further productivity and growth.
Young people need to think ahead and ask themselves: “Where will I get the best career experience in this new world?” “Do I have the skills that future companies will value?” In the past, ambitious employees learned programming in the evenings or picked up extra qualifications alongside their jobs. That mindset is more critical than ever now. Don’t rely solely on schools or universities to prepare you. Seek out an AI club. Join a community. Teach yourself the tools that are transforming industries. Take responsibility for your own development.
Paving the way ahead
Every major technological shift throughout history follows the same pattern: many cling to what they know, while a smaller group adapts early and captures the gains. What makes this moment different is speed. The velocity of business is increasing faster than at any point in recent memory.
AI, like Intel’s early chips, is a foundational technology, one that compounds and reshapes everything built on top of it. AI is already shaping scale and competitive advantage.
Those willing to engage, learn, and experiment with AI now will find that opportunity expands rather than contracts. History is clear on this: in periods of exponential change, those who move first gain the most.
