Speech by Mr Masagos Zulkifli, Minister for Social and Family Development, at the Huawei Tech4City Competition Finals

Mr David Shi
CEO, Huawei International

Mr Tommy Zhou
Vice-President, Huawei

Distinguished guests, competition finalists, family and friends

 

Introduction 

1. Good afternoon.  I'm very happy to join all of you this afternoon at the Huawei Tech4City Competition Finals 2026.

2. But first, let me congratulate all the finalists that I’ve visited just now. I understand that there were 240 participants. Over the past few months, all of you have worked hard to turn your ideas into prototypes and apply technology to address real challenges faced by our communities in Singapore.  I’m very happy to see that you have applied your creativity, determination and, most importantly, you want to make a difference. Walking around just now, I’ve seen and was awed by the solutions and thinking around producing them. Let’s give our participants appreciation for the work and the effort they put in.

3. This year marks Huawei's 25th anniversary in Singapore.  Over the years, Huawei has contributed to Singapore's technology ecosystem, including through initiatives such as Tech4City, which provide opportunities for young people to develop their skills and use technology for good.  Congratulations, Huawei!

 

Harnessing AI for the Public Good

4. The theme of this year's competition, "Fuelled by AI, Powered for Public Good" is indeed timely.  Artificial intelligence is no longer a concept. It is no longer confined to research labs or even something that you read from science fiction books. It is here, it is real, and it is reshaping how we work, communicate and care for one another.

5. In recognition of this, therefore, Singapore has refreshed our National AI Strategy, Prime Minister Lawrence Wong has been clear about our approach. He said, "We must strike the right balance—between safety and progress, between control and creativity."  We seek to harness the opportunities presented by AI while ensuring that development and adoption remain responsible and inclusive.
6. What matters is not just what technology can do, but how we use it to improve lives.  I am heartened to see our finalists applying AI to address challenges faced by different segments of our society.

 7. One that I saw just now, Drill Mode, is a gamified anti-scam training application that helps users recognise and respond to scams.  Or Sunday, the AI-powered voice-first accessibility platform designed to help persons with visual impairment use smartphones more independently.  These innovations demonstrate how technology can empower individuals, strengthen their confidence and enable them to participate more fully in society.

 

From Community Challenges to Community Solutions

8. What is equally encouraging is the spirit of co-creation behind these innovations, with communities playing an active role in shaping solutions that meet their needs. Indeed, I found out that many of our participants come from diverse backgrounds, with different universities in one team, old friends or old contacts. That’s the way we should work for the future. Don’t break the connections you make when you’re young, and never break them when you grow older too.

9. In fact, earlier this year, the Jom AI @ Tampines Hackathon brought together residents and students to explore how AI could address everyday challenges. 153 residents contributed ideas and challenges, ranging from estate cleanliness and community engagement to the responsible use of AI in education.  More than 40 student teams responded from all our universities, and some even from the secondary schools in Tampines. They produced prototypes which were showcased at Our Tampines Hub.

10. Some of them will be taken up and produced for real-life implementation, (and) supported by the community. Residents helped to identify the challenges that matter to them, while young innovators brought fresh ideas and technological capabilities to develop possible solutions.  By working with communities, innovation is grounded in real-world needs and that’s how we make a lasting difference.

 

Building Technology Solutions That Make a Difference

11. During my visit to Beijing in 2025 last year, I visited Huawei and saw a range of technological innovations.  It was my first time seeing what AI is like, how much and what impact it is making in different parts of our lives. While it is awesome and mind-boggling, one demonstration stood out most to me because of my work: a technology that helps persons with a hearing impairment communicate more clearly. Huawei enabled those who are unable to communicate clearly and are difficult for others to understand to convert what they say to an AI tool and translate that into very clear speech, in real time. All they have to do is speak into their phones. 

12. I am looking for other solutions that can help us do better, and this is the kind of innovation we want to encourage –  technology that addresses everyday challenges and makes a tangible difference in people’s lives.

13. Therefore, at MSF, we similarly see tremendous potential for technologies, including AI, to transform how we support individuals, families and make the work that our social care professionals do, even more effective.  In July this year, I announced that MSF would invest S$15 million over three years to incubate and pilot emerging technologies in real-world social care settings.  We have established partnerships with technology companies, such as NCS and ST Engineering to enable this.

14. AI is already making a difference in how we support individuals and empower professionals.  AiSee, an AI-powered wearable device, helps persons with visual impairment better understand and navigate their surroundings through voice prompts.  For professionals, MSF is working with our technology partners to co-develop and pilot AI-enabled tools, exploring how AI can support officers and social workers in generating first drafts and reducing the administrative burden.

15. But technology is not a substitute for professional judgement.  Our aim is to use AI to augment the capabilities of our professionals, freeing them to focus on what matters most — their clients.

 

The Role of Industry and Whole-Of-Society Partnerships

16. So no single organisation can address these challenges alone.  It takes collaboration across Government, the sector, corporates, academia and the community to now see what our young people can do.

17. Social service professionals bring their understanding of clients' needs.  Researchers contribute evidence and insights.  Technology companies bring expertise in developing solutions.  And most importantly, individuals and families must have a say in shaping innovations that affect their lives.

18. Since the update to Singapore’s National AI Strategy 2.0 in May, I am heartened to note that Huawei’s collaboration with NTUC has been included, with the aim of applying digital and AI solutions to support companies under the Company Training Committee (CTC) framework.  I hope Huawei will continue to invest locally, support the scaling of AI adoption, and nurture future-ready AI talent.

 

A Call To Action

19. To our finalists, regardless of the results today, you have already achieved something important. At the very least, you have to press on. You saw challenges around you and chose to do something about them.  I encourage you to continue building on your ideas, listening to the people you are designing for, and refining your solutions based on what you learn.  

20. Remember this: the true measure of your innovation is not how sophisticated the technology is. It is the difference it can make to people's lives.

21. To our partners, may we continue nurturing this spirit of innovation and create even more opportunities for young people to turn promising technologies into solutions that benefit our society.

22. As AI becomes more advanced, we must remember that technology is ultimately a means to an end.

23. Our goal is to build a more inclusive and caring society — where individuals are empowered, families are supported, and everyone has the opportunity to thrive.

24. I hope today will inspire more collaborations and that together, we can harness technology to make a real difference in peoples’ lives.

25. Thank you, and congratulations once again.