Speech by Minister Chan Chun Sing at Public Service Festival: SPARK 2026

Speech by Coordinating Minister for Public Services and Minister-in-Charge of the Public Service Mr Chan Chun Sing at SPARK: Opening of Public Service Festival 2026 on 3 July 2026

1           Good afternoon to all colleagues from the Public Service — to all of you here at Republic Polytechnic and those joining us online.

2           First, let me thank you for your service to Singapore and Singaporeans.

3           Every year, when we gather for the Public Service Festival, we reflect on what we have achieved together and what more we need to do to prepare Singapore for the challenges ahead.

4           As a Public Service, we have not done too badly for Singapore. Around the world, people take us seriously for our consistency in execution and policy thinking. They are prepared to listen to us, they are prepared to partner us. However, we should not be complacent.

5           The day we lose our relevance, fail to command thought leadership, or falter in our execution, we will lose the confidence of fellow Singaporeans and the respect of the world.

Embracing Change

6           Today, we stand at a potential inflection point. Technologies, especially artificial intelligence (AI), are disrupting industries and businesses—and our government will not be spared.

7           The question is not whether we embrace this change, but how well and how quickly we are able to do so. We must manage the challenges, seize the opportunities, train our people, and take care of them.

8           AI is not a sudden revolution but part of a continuum of new technologies that brings both challenges and opportunities. It has happened before, and it will happen again. AI is but a tool that can help us do things better and empower us to do better things.

9           But let us be clear: AI is not the solution in itself. It is but a tool, and its value depends on how well we define the problems we aim to solve. As I always say, AI cannot be the solution when we are not clear what is the problem that we are trying to address.

Doing Things Better

10           Let's start with doing things better. Improving productivity at every station and every level is something we are all familiar with and have always strived for. Many of you have already embarked on this journey—experimenting with AI, building models, and applying them to your work.

11           But embracing AI does not mean doing less. Often, AI helps us with the mundane and basic tasks, freeing us to focus on the creative and higher value-add work that we all want to do. However, it also demands that we check its outputs, ensuring accuracy and avoiding pitfalls of hallucinations or data poisoning.

Doing Better Things

12           Beyond doing things better, we must also challenge ourselves to do better things. This requires a deep understanding of our processes, their purposes, and the reasons behind what we do. So it's not just about the "what" and the "how," but more importantly, the "why."

13           When we are clear about the "why," we can then be creative with the "what" and execute decisively on the "how."

14           We have seen bold examples of this in various of our agencies. For example, the Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA) has reimagined service delivery, clearing over 127 million travellers without passports across all modes of transport, speeding up clearance time by 60 per cent.

15           The Central Provident Fund (CPF) Board has leveraged AI to transcribe and summarise calls, saving 20,000 hours a year—which is equivalent to 10 man-years—and improving first-call resolution rates from 87 per cent to 93 per cent, with customer satisfaction holding steady at 98 per cent for the last two years.

16           We are also reimagining how citizens access government services. chat.gov.sg allows citizens to ask questions in plain language and be guided directly to the help they need — a small but meaningful shift in how government serves Singaporeans.

17           Transformation requires a simultaneous shift on two fronts. On one hand, every officer must develop a bottom-up sense of agency and urgency — to use new tools and ways of working, without waiting to be told. At the same time, leadership must drive significant top-down process reengineering—not just incremental tweaks but fundamental reimagination. Both must happen together. Neither is sufficient on its own.

18           Every agency should start by aiming to transform one process. I encourage all agencies to do this. Just start with one—one that currently consumes an inordinate amount of resources, either in time, budget, or manpower. This is not just about adopting AI. But if we run through one process from end to end, we then better understand the efforts to sort out our data and processes, and go back to the first principles of why we do what we do. Then with this experience, we will be able to take on more and bigger challenges, in terms of the types of processes that we want to redesign.

Reassurance

19           Now, I can understand that many of us here may feel anxious about what lies ahead. Many of us will wonder: What will happen to my job?

20           Let me reassure you of our Public Service's commitment: We will do all we can to equip our people with the necessary new skills.

21           Everyone—from ministers and permanent secretaries to the fresh entrants—will have the opportunity to undergo training to prepare or to use these technologies better.

22           From September 2026, we will establish the Institute of Digital Government, in partnership with the Civil Service College, to equip more than 150,000 public officers with digital, data, and AI skillsets.

23           We will also form teams to support individuals and teams embarking on their transformation journeys. Agencies which have already started will be able to share their experiences with those which are starting now. For officers whose roles will change, we will do our best to equip them with the new skills and, where possible, also emplace them into the new roles—within the Public Service and outside.

Leadership Responsibility

24           To all the leaders here and online, as we redesign our processes, remember that it is also our leadership responsibility to also redesign the jobs for all our people impacted by AI.

25           This is not just about technology but about people. We must ensure that every officer has a meaningful role to play in this new landscape. We must also find ways to inspire our officers by allowing them to do higher value work which will challenge and inspire them.

Conclusion

26           Finally, let us remember this. Yes, there will be quite a lot of change ahead but we will do this together. No one needs to fear doing it alone.

27           We will do this together for our nation and our people, so that we remain a Public Service that Singaporeans can trust and be proud of.

28           We will do this together to secure a better future for generations to come, embodying the spirit of constant improvement—ever vigilant to challenges and opportunities, but never complacent in our approach.

29           We will do this together, by putting people at the centre of all that we do. And when we say people, it encompasses both our staff and fellow Singaporeans. AI will be a tool to complement our work, but we must and will take charge of its direction and use.

30           With that, I thank you once again for your service to our people and your dedication to our mission. Together, we will work to allow Singapore to defy the odds of history and remain a shining beacon of hope for all.

31           Thank you.